Biography:Ostap Korkuna
Ostap Korkuna | |
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Остап Коркуна | |
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| Born | September 26, 1987 Lviv, Ukraine |
| Nationality |  Ukraine |
| Occupation |
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| Known for | Nova Ukraine |
| Awards | International Collegiate Programming Contest 2008 gold medal,  Order of Merit 3rd degree[1] |
Ostap Korkuna (Ukrainian:Остап Коркуна; born 26 September 1987 in Lviv) is a Ukrainian American software engineer and executive, gold medalist of the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, co-founder and co-chair of the nonprofit organization Nova Ukraine that raised tens of millions of dollars for humanitarian aid to Ukraine. Recipient of the Order of Merit 3rd degree awarded by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Education and career
Korkuna holds a master's degree in Informatics from Lviv National University in Ukraine .[2] While at university, he took part in competitive programming contests. He was a member of the team representing Lviv National University at the 2008 International Collegiate Programming Contest World Finals.[3] The team placed fourth overall and was awarded gold medals along with the other top four teams.[4][5] As a solo competitor, he placed 13th in the 2009 Topcoder Open Algorithm Competition.[6]
Korkuna's strong performance in programming contests attracted the attention of recruiters at Facebook, and he moved to California as one of the company's first Ukrainian employees.[7] He is currently a director of engineering at People.ai.[2]
Non-profit leadership and advocacy
Korkuna co-founded Nova Ukraine in 2014 and remains its volunteer co-chair.[2][7][8]
Street rallies and advocacy
In 2018 Korkuna led a rally in San Francisco to support Ukrainian sailors captured by Russia in the Kerch Strait incident.[9] In February and March 2022, in the first weeks of Russian invasion of Ukraine, he led street rallies in San Francisco to raise awareness about the situation in Ukraine .[10][11][12]
In Summer 2022, at a public discussion event at the Commonwealth Club of California, Korkuna outlined how Nova Ukraine helped Ukrainian refugees in Mexico and in the US with shelter, food, basic necessities, and communications, while advocating for additional aid.[13]
Non-profit leadership
During the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, Korkuna helped organize the Ukrainian community in the San Francisco Bay area as a local branch of Euromaydan to show solidarity with Ukraine through street rallies.[7] He co-founded Nova Ukraine in 2014, and has led the organization for over 8 years, contributing to fundraising, recruitment and media relations.[14][8] Under Korkuna's leadership, Nova Ukraine raised funds for humanitarian aid for Ukraine and delivered tens of millions of dollars worth of aid in 2022.[2][15] In 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recognized Korkuna's contributions as the co-founder and co-chair of Nova Ukraine with the Order of Merit 3rd degree.[1][16]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Decree of the President of Ukraine №556/2023 on Recognition with State Awards of Ukraine" (in uk). 2023-09-04. https://www.president.gov.ua/documents/5562023-48201. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Nova Ukraine Board of Directors". 18 April 2022. https://novaukraine.org/about-us/board-of-directors/.
- ↑ "ICPC 2008 World Finals Results". Baylor University. 2009-04-01. https://cm2prod.baylor.edu/ICPCWiki/Wiki.jsp?page=History%20-%20ICPC%202008.
- ↑ "ACM ICPC 2008 World Finals". https://cphof.org/standings/icpc/2008.
- ↑ "Ukrainians won Gold at the world programming championship". Korrespondent.net. 2008-04-15. https://korrespondent.net/tech/science/434759-ukraincy-zavoevali-zoloto-na-chempionate-mira-po-programmirovaniyu?fbclid=IwAR3k6ExEGPWLttCyKgHKZXM4ZkzpvmuTbnWrmGz-w7RpPKQFqhTYLHR4mGw.
- ↑ "Ostap Korkuna profile". Competitive Programming Hall of Fame. https://cphof.org/profile/topcoder:Ostap.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "How a 22 year old from Lviv got a job at Facebook". 24 Kanal. April 19, 2016. https://24tv.ua/yak_22richniy_lvivyanin_potrapiv_na_robotu_u_facebook_n678556.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Khrystyna Shevchenko. "Nova Ukraine Featured on Voice of America News" (in uk, en). https://youtube.com/watch?v=Q-LI-oqZ8gc.
- ↑ ""Путин, руки прочь от Украины". В США устроили антироссийскую акцию с требованием освободить моряков" (in ru). 2018-12-02. https://tsn.ua/ru/svit/putin-ruki-proch-ot-ukrainy-v-ssha-ustroili-antirossiyskuyu-akciyu-s-trebovaniem-osvobodit-moryakov-1258911.html.
- ↑ Katsuyama, Jana (February 17, 2022). "Bay Area nonprofit worry Russia might be targeting humanitarian aid workers". https://www.ktvu.com/news/bay-area-non-profits-worry-russia-might-be-targeting-humanitarian-aid-workers.
- ↑ Narayanan, Shwanika (March 9, 2022). "'Get out of Ukraine right now.' Bay Area Ukrainians angry, frightened for families as Russia invades". https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/bay-area-ukrainians-confront-worst-fears-as-16944472.php.
- ↑ Zhou, Shihui (February 27, 2022). "Ukrainians in America: Ukrainians can't lose in the fight for democracy" (in zh). Central News Agency (Taiwan). https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aopl/202202270128.aspx.
- ↑ "Crisis at the Border: Helping Ukrainian Refugees". Commonwealth Club of California. June 21, 2022. https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2022-06-21/crisis-border-helping-ukrainian-refugees.
- ↑ Khrystyna Shevchenko (September 10, 2022). ""Історія масштабного благодійного фонду NOVA Ukraine з Каліфорнії"" (in uk). Voice of America. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi2XFGP6Wjo.
- ↑ "Nova Ukraine has raised $30M to help with relief in #Ukraine since #Russia's invasion (video)". First Move CNN. May 11, 2022. https://twitter.com/firstmove/status/1524433355479072770.
- ↑ "President of Ukraine Recognized Two Californians with the Order of Merit". Slavic Sacramento. Sep 25, 2023. https://www.slavicsac.com/2023/09/25/nova-ukraine-ordens/.
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