Marijka Kachmar
City of Residence: Edmonton
BIO
The Ukrainian Canadian Congress presents the Ukrainian Canadian Youth Leadership Award of Excellence to Marijka Kachmar in recognition of her determination and leadership to master and promote the Ukrainian language and for her efforts to help others learn it.
Marijka Kachmar grew up in Edmonton in a mixed marriage family whose 1an•quage of communication was English. However, her parents fostered in her a respect for the heritage of her ancestors. Marijka completed twelve grades of the English-Ukrainian Bilingual Program. Near the completion of high school, she enrolled in and graduated from a supplementary school program at the Ivan Franko Ukrainian School. Since 1999, Marijka is a student at the University of Alberta majoring in Ukrainian Studies and teachings English as a second languap•e. She is the recipient of numerous scholarships for her achievements, which enabled her to continue studies in Ukraine in the National University of Ivan Franko.
Marijka Kachmar is an active and convincing promoter of the Ukrainian language. She returned to Plast Ukrainian Youth Association and became a youth leader and counselor. She is currently the representative and director of young adults on the National Executive of Plast Ukrainian Youth Association of Canada. In order to help her charges and friends in Plast and elsewhere to develop their Ukrainian language skills, she compiled an illustrated dictionary of contemporary Ukrainian and current idioms for Ukrainian youth in the diaspora. She encourages young Ukrainian Canadians to learn and to use Ukrainian with great enthusiasm and determination.
