Letter from the Program Director

Dear Students, Parents, Colleagues, and Partners,

It is my great pleasure to introduce myself and to present the Language and Thinking Kyiv program, supported by Bard College.

My name is Yana, and I am a junior at Bard College, majoring in economics and enrolled in Bard’s 4 + 1 Master of Arts in Teaching Literature program. I was born and raised in Enerhodar, in the Zaporizhia region, and in 11th grade, I left Ukraine to attend ʻIolani School in Hawaiʻi on a full scholarship as part of the Ukraine Global Scholars (UGS) 2020 cohort. Today, I co-lead the UGS Juniors English program and am honored to serve as the program director of the Language and Thinking Kyiv program.

The Language and Thinking Program was founded in 1981 and now operates at nearly 30 sites worldwide, from Annandale-on-Hudson to Berlin to Bishkek — and soon, Kyiv. By joining this global tradition, L&T Kyiv supports the New Ukrainian School Reform and helps prepare a new generation of students who think critically, write clearly, and act creatively.

I began the L&T Kyiv project in summer 2025 at Bard College, driven by a vision to provide high-quality educational opportunities for Ukrainians.

Bard’s Writing and Thinking program promotes writing as a means of generating ideas and thinking critically about texts. It also provides opportunities to share ideas with others and to learn from others. Its practices include journal writing, annotating texts, creating idea maps, and exchanging dialogical notebooks. These methods have been implemented across Bard’s global network. Students learn to read with intention, generate ideas through their writing, connect ideas across texts, and express themselves with clarity and confidence.

Behind this program, there is a team of inspiring educators and advisors. Some of them became mentors in my life, and many of them have committed themselves wholeheartedly to guiding me in designing this program. They also commit themselves to our students who are signing up to be part of our first L&T Kyiv.

I'm excited about teaching this course and, in addition, I’m proud to introduce L&T Kyiv teacher Liliana Tymchenko, associate professor at the European Humanities University.

With the support of the Kyiv School of Economics and other partners, we aspire to lay the groundwork for a new chapter in students’ lives. That is why I sincerely thank you for reading this letter and invite you, students, educators, parents, community members, and partners, to join us in this endeavor of building a community that values life-long learning and equal access to high-quality education for high school students from all backgrounds.

Respectfully,

Yana Lahoda

Yana Lahoda '27, MAT '28

Program Director, Language and Thinking Kyiv

Trustee Leader Scholar Program, Bard College

Annandale-on-Hudson NY 12504

landtkyiv@bard.edu