Victoria Popova is the coordinator of the Techno Ukraine competition and other projects. She also accompanies her mentees at foreign (final) stages of international competitions, proudly representing Ukrainian talented youth to the world. The editorial staff of "KP" asked Victoria to tell about her work.
"When I asked my friends to characterize my professional activity, I heard most often: "Helping others to reach their potential and heights." And indeed, I have devoted all years of my work to this: as a student I taught discipline to complex children in children's health centers; in schools I proved that classical music can be cool and you don't need to be a genius to join this source of inspiration; in the public service I supported troubled families and tried to help them bring up healthy and happy children; helped children and adults with special needs to adapt to society; taught women to assert their rights in the family. I still recieve congratulations by families with many children from the Donetsk region, whom I helped with housing, joining a coveted educational institution or simply with advice that changed despair to hope.
The path of life brought me to Kyiv, and then my experience came in handy. Interesting work with the incredibly intelligent people in the Department of Technical Sciences of the Kyiv MAS inspired me to search for new knowledge and self-improvement, it was thanks to this work that I got acquainted with inspiring teachers of many departments of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, who sought to share their knowledge and experience with young researchers. I am proud that now the best scientists of the university, among which are enthusiastic young scientists and respected academicians, are involved in work with schoolchildren. New forms of work have appeared such as exhibitions "Technical Vernissage" in the State Polytechnic Museum, "Spring and Autumn Holidays in Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute ", excursions to the faculties of the university for schoolchildren from different regions of Ukraine.
I am sincerely grateful to the Institute of Physics and Technology, its incredible teachers and staff for the wonderful opportunity to prepare gifted children in international competitions, teach them to fight and win. Competitions ISEF and GENIUS Olympiad in the U.S. annually motivate Ukrainian intellectuals in their own research in technical and natural sciences; the national stage of the competition "Techno Ukraine", held for many years in Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, brings together the best students from all over Ukraine.
And our university hospitably welcomes young researchers. Members of the expert jury help schoolchildren to discover their talents, advise on how to improve the project and faculties open the doors of their laboratories and share secrets with future engineers. And every year, Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute welcomes yesterday's schoolchildren participants and winners of competitions, who become students and continue their research at the university. I enthusiastically participate in the Festival of innovative projects "Sikorsky Challenge", I help to make it a bright holiday for all participants both adults and very young people who just begin their journey of researchers and innovators. Many of them have already grown up and spread their wings. I am proud of their achievements and I am glad to see new success.
I am proud of my son, who currently studies in a double postgraduate program and, during his research in Spain, he applies artificial intelligence methods to the processing of medical images and develops models for the development of brain cancer. He is well aware that in order to make his dreams come true, he must work hard, be persistent and do not stop when something does not work out right away.
During my work I have met many people as sick children from low-income families and business angels willing to invest millions in projects of interest to them, I saw wonderful, almost holy people, and full of scoundrels, hardworking and lazy... From communicating with them, I made the belief that it is necessary, like this frog, to row with your feet, no matter what jug of life you got into. And to believe in what I am doing. And it is very important when there are people around who help, inspire, give hope for the realization of dreams. Dreams have an interesting feature - they come true!
That is why I will continue to help every star either brave or uncertain, strong or confused to open up and reach her/his peak.