Meet Victoria Kim, a student of the LN-01 group of the Department of Theory, Practice and Translation of the German Language. She won gold in a student competition organized by the Centre for International Security with the support of the NATO Information and Documentation Centre in Ukraine. The winners of the competition will have the opportunity to visit NATO Headquarters in Brussels, as well as to practice at leading analytical institutions in Ukraine.
The essay and video competition was dedicated to Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration and regional security sector development and was held among participants from NATO academies and student youth. It was timed to the 15th anniversary of the Centre for International Security and Euro-Atlantic Cooperation. Victoria impressed the judges with her video "NATO Reflection Process: NATO-2030". In it, the student reflects on the activities of the North Atlantic Alliance and analyzes the challenges that will face it in the future, especially in the context of Ukraine.
Victoria Kim told the curator of the LN-01 senior teacher Irina Trutsunenko about the course of events.
- Good afternoon, Victoria. First of all, I congratulate you on such a remarkable achievement. Please tell us about yourself.
- Good afternoon. With pleasure.
- What attracted you to the future speciality?
- I am attracted by the opportunities provided by the future speciality. A translator, in my opinion, is a person who perfects languages, and therefore can easily make new contacts and travel the world. Translation is a way of life, as I have been learning English and German for over 10 years.
- Why did you choose Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute?
- I chose it because I trust it. This is exactly the university that does not limit the student. For me, studying here is a combination of great events and people in one place. KPI-student is a kind of brand, it is a certain status, prestige. We should not forget that studying here is a combination of practice and theory. This university is not about sleepless nights behind a mountain of unnecessary homework, this university is about quality education at the European level.
- Of course, you are a student for a short time, but still: how do you feel at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and do you feel the assistance of the department aimed at adapting freshmen and involving students in scientific and social activities?
- I really like studying at KPI! It was not so easy to adapt to the conditions of quarantine, many things will have to get used to, but teachers-mentors help us to establish contact with each other and with other teachers, make friends and feel "at home". As first-year students of the Department of Theory, Practice and Translation of the German Language, we have already been invited to several seminars organized by native speakers and professional practitioners. We even distinguished ourselves by participating in these events, not just by being passive. At the very beginning of the education we were shown the real practical work of translators and actively involved in scientific activities.
- How did the idea to take part in the competition come about?
- Our country is going through hard times, being in a state of so-called "hybrid war". That is why I tried to emphasize the existence of the problem and to dive into this issue more deeply. An analysis of the challenges facing the alliance in the future, especially in the context of Ukraine, is a worthy topic.
I learned about the competition, organized by the ISC with the support of the NATO Information and Documentation Centre in Ukraine, two days before the application deadline. That is, we had to work on creating an article and a video at night, and the filming process itself continued after classes and in between.
- What are your impressions of the competition?
- I support its participants - caring young Ukrainians who care about the future of the country and believe that the awareness of Ukrainian society about the essence of the alliance, the involvement of citizens in projects conducted under the auspices of NATO are important for today. And the flexibility factor should determine all stages of NATO's work, from threat identification to decision-making on further consolidated action.
- Do you have experience of participating in other events?
- Yes of course. As the president of the student government of the school, I participated in the competition from the Goethe-Institut "Umwelt macht Schule" and covered the problem of ecology in Ukraine. I also had valuable experience participating in the World Youth Essay Competition, the main condition of which was the preparation of a large essay on democracy. Participation in each new competition motivates me to move on and provides a lot of useful knowledge.
- What are your plans for the future now?
- Of course, it is not customary to talk about all your plans openly. However, the main purpose of my life is not to sit still, not to stop, but to move forward, to gain experience, to remember victories and defeats, to learn something new every day. As soon as the quarantine situation in Ukraine changes for the better, I plan to visit and take part in many interesting events.
- Thank you, Vica. We are very proud of you and wish you further success.
Interviewed by Iryna Trutsunenko, senior teacher FL