Penn Global 10 Coming together for Ukraine
March 18, 2022
By
Amanda Mott | Penn Today
More than 60 students, faculty, and staff gathered at Perry World House on a spring-like evening for Razom: A Moment of Togetherness for Ukraine. There were touches of yellow and blue, a nod to the Ukrainian flag. Razom, meaning “together” in Ukrainian, was a recurrent theme among the presenters.
Hosted by Penn Global and the Office of the Chaplain the event attracted Ukrainian students as well as American and international members of the Penn community in a show of solidarity.
Amy Gadsden, associate vice provost for global initiatives, welcomed those gathered. “We are here to support our Ukrainian students. The horrendous events in Ukraine affect us all,” said Gadsden. “The world is changed.”
As people stood, the Prometheus Ukrainian Male Chorus of Philadelphia—shirts decorated with traditional embroidery—performed the Ukrainian national anthem. “Shche ne vmerla Ukrayiny, ni slava, ni volya—Ukraine is not yet dead, nor its glory and freedom,” they sang.
Among the 12 members performing were Peter Hewka and Walter Kononenko. Each had come to the United States from Ukraine as child refugees of World War II. Hewka later completed his Ph.D. in physics at Penn in 1967. Kononenko worked as a staff researcher in Penn’s Physics Department for decades before recently retiring.
To commemorate Penn Global’s 10th anniversary, we are featuring stories from the last decade to celebrate Penn’s transformation as a global institution, highlighting key moments of this transformation and the impact of Penn Global and its partners on the Penn community and beyond.
