Skip to content
Call Us Today! 212-533-4646 | MON-FRI 12PM - 4PM (EST)
DONATE
SUBSCRIBE
Search for:
About Us
Publications
FAQ
Annual Report 2023
Annual Report 2022
Annual Report 2021
Initiatives
Advocate
Educate
Cultivate
Care
News
Newsletters
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Join UNWLA
Become a Member
Volunteer With Us
Donate to UNWLA
Members Portal
Calendar
Shop to Support Ukraine
Search for:
Print
Print Page
Download
Download Page
Download Right Page
Open
1
2-3
4-5
6-7
8-9
10-11
12-13
14-15
16-17
18-19
20-21
22-23
24-25
26-27
28-29
30-31
32-33
34-35
36-37
38-39
40
НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ • Липень-Серпень 2023 5 Meet Oksanna Gudz Earlier this year, Oksanna Gudz became President of the UNWLA’s Detroit Regional Council. We asked Oksanna to tell us about herself, and she obliged with this com - prehensive narrative. To protect five-year-old Mykola and three- year-old Luba from the danger of war in their area, my parents, Stefan and Maria Hryhorczuk, left their farm in Ukraine and traveled to Austria, where I was born in a refugee camp several months later. In 1947 we immigrated to the U.S. and set - tled in Detroit, where my youngest sib - ling, Stefania, was born. Our parents raised us to be proud Ukrain - ians, and although I have never been to Ukraine, like many of my sister Soyuzianky, I was committed to preserving my Ukrain - ian heritage and culture. My siblings and I attended Immaculate Conception Ukrain - ian Catholic School (IC) and Ridna Shkola on Saturdays. We joined Plast. We sur - rounded ourselves with Ukrainian friends and all things Ukrainian. At the age of four, I took Ukrainian folk dancing lessons from the renowned Vasyl Avramenko and developed a love of dancing that continued during my high school and college years. Besides dancing, I played the bandura and sang with the Girls’ Bandurist Chorus and in Trembita, a community choral group. My first camping experience was at a Plast camp at the age of seven, and it continued for many years, first as a participant (no - vachka and yunachka) and later as a counselor and head coun - selor (komendantka). These camps took place in Buffalo and in the Detroit area at Zelenyi Yar, which is adjacent to Dibrova. We are fortunate to have Dibrova, a beautiful park where Ukraini - ans can vacation for weeks or picnic on summer days with fam - ily and friends. My husband of 55 years, my three children, and especially my grandson enjoy being there often. I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree and obtained my teach - ing certificate from Wayne State University and upon gradu - ation accepted a job at IC, where I taught for four years. Al - though I moved on to a public school system, my relationship with IC continued. For several years I co-chaired the Winter Carnival food division and worked at many fundraisers. In the years before joining the UNWLA, I had the opportunity to share information about Ukraine. I taught pysanka deco - rating at the International Institute. As Miss Ukraine Detroit (1963), I represented the Ukrainian American community at various events and was able to meet Mayor Jerome Cavan - agh and Governor George Romney. I became a member of the UNWLA in the 1970s; one of my first activities was teaching at our branch-sponsored pre - school for several years. Although I was active in my branch (baking for bake sales, chairing a silent-auction fundraiser, etc.), this is my first time being involved in the regional coun - cil. In these troubling times, it is important to share infor - mation about Ukraine in our communities and media. This is where my strength lies; I am bilingual and am comfortable communicating with community leaders and government of - ficials. I am also fortunate to have a wonderful, experienced group of women in our regional council on whom I can rely to help me carry out my duties as president. With their sup - port, I hope to follow in the footsteps of the very capable and committed presidents who came before me.
Page load link
Go to Top
1 
2-3 
4-5 
6-7 
8-9 
10-11 
12-13 
14-15 
16-17 
18-19 
20-21 
22-23 
24-25 
26-27 
28-29 
30-31 
32-33 
34-35 
36-37 
38-39 
40 
