Hunter College is welcoming 16 students whose lives were turned upside-down by the war between Russia and Ukraine, allowing them to restart their educations at Hunter classrooms. Eight students from Russia who got Zimin Scholarships and eight from Ukraine who got scholarships from Hunter College Foundation will continue their studies at Hunter this academic year.  

Zimin Scholarship for 8 students from Russia is designed for several years of their study in Hunter (2,5-3 years). “We created this scholarship to ensure no Russian student disappears behind a new Iron Curtain,” Boris Zimin, head of the Zimin Foundation, said. “All of these students had their plans for the future destroyed by Russia’s military aggression. It is important we help these smart and motivated young people so that they can resume their studies and continue building their future.”

Hunter College President Jennifer Raab added the new students continue the college’s tradition of helping those most in need get the education they deserve. “Hunter College has been helping people in difficult — and sometimes dire — situations achieve the American Dream for decades, and this is just the latest example of how we make that happen,” she said. “We are proud to welcome these students, and thank the Zimin Foundation and the Hunter College Foundation for playing a big part in getting them safely here to Hunter.”

Some students living in Ukraine had to stop going to college because it was too dangerous to continue, while some students from Russia were forced to flee because of something a family member said or did. They are now headed to Hunter and these lives aren’t lost in a senseless war that is killing thousands of people.

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