The junior majoring in international relations is using her research and outreach skills to make a difference for her native country.
In 2011, Dr. Les Baltimore, then Associate Provost of Academic Affairs and Professor of History, established the聽Sue Levering Social Justice Award聽to honor a聽Levermore Global Scholar聽(LGS) who is an active and informed citizen who best represents the program鈥檚 mission of social justice and activism.聽He founded the聽award聽in memory of his late wife,聽Susan Dworkin聽Levering.聽Her聽life聽exe
Born on the western side of Ukraine, Tomjuk and her family immigrated to the United States in 2007, when she was only four years old. Her parents wanted her to have access to better education and professional opportunities in whatever field she wanted. 鈥淏ecause of the political issues in Ukraine, those opportunities just weren鈥檛 available to us,鈥� she explained.
Her country鈥檚 political climate, and the impact it had on her family, inspired Tomjuk鈥檚 interest in social justice and international relations, which is what brought her to Adelphi. 鈥淎delphi offered so many majors that I was interested in,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y international studies don鈥檛 feel like a chore because I鈥檓 passionate about the curriculum.鈥� Tomjuk鈥檚 passion for her studies earned her the Levering award nomination at the end of her sophomore year.
Katie Laatikainen, PhD, professor of political science and international relations, said, 鈥淭etyana decided relatively late to start studying international relations. When Russia invaded Ukraine, the field of international relations became personal for her.聽 With her family鈥檚 Ukrainian roots, she became passionate about learning international relations broadly to understand how war returned to Europe. She took part in a student debate on continuing U.S. support for Ukraine last year, which deepened her activism and advocacy role.聽As she has grown into this work of engagement, she exemplifies the values and mission of the LGS program that the Sue Levering award honors.”
Raising Awareness for the Russia鈥揢kraine War
As a part of the award process, the awardee needs to come up with a project that involves global justice. Tomjuk chose to run an awareness campaign around the Russia鈥揢kraine war that began in 2022.
The war hits particularly close to home for Tomjuk. About half of her family is still in Ukraine, although they fortunately live in the unoccupied, western territories.
Tomjuk said that while the war received attention in the United States when it first broke out, 鈥淚 felt like there was a huge decline of interest in the weeks after the war,鈥� she explained. 鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 as much news coverage about it, not as many conversations. And not as many donations for the Ukrainian community.鈥�
As part of her campaign, Tomjuk coordinated with her local Ukrainian church, St. Michael鈥檚 Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Uniondale, to hold a fundraising event in October 2023 for people to donate funds and warm winter clothing to families in eastern Ukraine.
She also created and administered a questionnaire for event attendees about the Russia鈥揢kraine war. About 90 percent of the students polled didn鈥檛 answer more than two questions correctly. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not that people don鈥檛 care, they鈥檙e just not aware,鈥� Tomjuk said.
In March 2024, she organized and moderated a virtual event as a follow-up to her questionnaire. Tomjuk sat on a panel with Dong Wook Lee, PhD, assistant professor, and Robert Saunders, PhD, adjunct professor, both of whom teach political science and international relations, to provide a more detailed, in-depth overview as to how the Russia鈥揢kraine conflict reached this point historically. Tomjuk said she was pleased with the audience鈥檚 engagement, both online and in person.
Continuing the Fight for Social Justice
Tomjuk is only in her junior year, but she鈥檚 already thinking beyond her 2025 graduation. She may pursue a master鈥檚 degree in a field within international relations, something a bit more specific than what she鈥檚 studying now. She also hopes to be a diplomat for the United Nations, a desire that was inspired by her international relations classes with Dr. Laatikainen. But until then, Tomjuk will continue to spread awareness about global issues and fight for social justice.