Ukrainian Freshman Danylo Semakov: A Leader and An Artist

Danylo Samenkov is a freshman studying Psychology. He is from Ukraine, and his hometown is Kharkiv, the capital of the Slobozhanshchyna region, located in the East of Ukraine.

Earlier this academic year Danylo was the art winner of the “Gallery of Stories” contest, and now we would like you to get to know his full story.

For most of his life, Danylo has lived with his father, mother, and older brother, as well as their beloved cat Jessica, which they consider as their 5th family member. When describing his family, Danylo says, “We are a very high-spirited family that is always excited about new adventures!”

Danylo enjoys the Psychology classes he is taking at LCC a lot. He enjoys the fact that he has been learning more about “the structure of this wonderful world as well as the human mind.” Also, he is already planning to build on his knowledge in the field of Psychology. “In the future, I plan to self-actualize within the frame of my major. I will utilize the knowledge that I have acquired in this unique university and will do my best to assist others.”

Danylo is an active student on campus, so if you have not seen him in any of the activities yet, you will soon! Even before coming to LCC, Danylo was quite active at his old school. “Life in my home country was an exciting journey for me as I always participated in various events, webinars, and after-school activities. I held different leadership positions throughout my lifetime and was an active volunteer.” Before coming to LCC, he also had a chance to spend a year in the United States with the FLEX program. In the United States, he was actively promoting his country and culture, introducing American high school students to Ukrainian culture, and how the two can work together. Also, Danylo says that he has actively worked on sustainability, “I’ve performed miscellaneous projects aimed at preserving the environment and encouraging students’ artistic expression. As a result, I participated in the Global Youth Service Day, successfully completed the Public Achievement Leadership Program, and won the state competition in the field of environment.”

Danylo shares that he found out about LCC because of his constant interest in various leadership positions. He found out about LCC on several online leadership and international education groups. Also, his close friend had been a student here and shared their positive experience of studying here.

The reason why he wanted to study at LCC was its uniqueness.

“At first sight, LCC seemed to be a unique university that provides an incredible opportunity to engage with people of different nationalities and backgrounds.
After a closer look into the university programs and policies, I gained a strong confidence in the fact that this university provides a well-qualified academic experience and profound exchange of multicultural views and ideas.”

Danylo hopes that at LCC he will be able to learn more about leadership and gain useful skills in this field. He has applied for several leadership positions, which he hopes to be accepted for. He is excited and dedicated to giving his time to serve the LCC community and gain the desired skills. In fact, he has been leading the Art & Therapy Club. He also hopes to be able to lead more art events.

Even though his first year has been challenging so far, he enjoys the rewarding experience he is receiving while studying at LCC. “The fall semester at LCC was academically challenging as well as emotionally stimulating. On a personal level, I had an incredible transformation in the way I view higher education. LCC has given me an incredible opportunity to engage with people of different nationalities and backgrounds, which has made my academic experience rich with multicultural views and ideas.”

In the Fall of 2021, Danylo participated and won the “Gallery of Stories” art competition. The contest invited students to create artistic interpretations of peace through culture. Danylo has shared about his art piece: “The name of my painting is ‘Speak Up.’ I tried my best to portray the flock of free thoughts and ideas as a rebirth, a phoenix. The girl in the middle represents water – a contrasting environment. She feels released as she is not afraid to demonstrate conversive ideas. In fact, contrasting ideas provide life for the surrounding greenery. The work is inspired by the folk motifs of Slavic and Baltic cultures. I considered the ‘Gallery of Stories’ art competition would be an incredible opportunity to contribute to artistic expression along with other students and share my own culture.”

Besides leading the Arts & Therapy club or painting in his free time, Danylo loves talking to people. He enjoys not only the company of his Ukrainian friends but international ones too. He values and treasures these experiences a lot. Like many who come to Klaipėda, Danylo has been fascinated by the sea, and he enjoys walking to the sea through the forest.

When asked about the best piece of advice he has been given, Danylo says that he received it from his aunt, who told him, “The only things you regret are the things you didn’t do.” We should not be surprised that Danylo has been so active since arriving on campus and also before LCC.

We would like to finish with Danylo’s wish for LCC’s 30th anniversary. “I wish for many more years of outstanding students and thriving courses, as well as for LCC to obtain even more worldwide recognition and celebrate many more years of success!”

22 Feb 2022