Snizhana Kovtok graduated from the Faculty of History in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in History and Archeology. She is an active member of student self-government bodies, and since 2019 she has been the Deputy Chairman of the Union Bureau. For more than 2 years she has been a chorister of the Cheremosh Folk Song and Dance Ensemble of Lviv University.
Interesting details
I am proud to be a graduate of one of the oldest universities of Central and Eastern Europe, where I have met many interesting people and found wonderful friends. In addition, I am glad that the University appreciated my efforts in scientific and public life, awarding me the Diploma and Bohdan Solchanyk Grant, and I am also prideful that together with my second family – Cheremosh Ensemble, I had the opportunity to perform on the stages in Lviv, Kyiv and Poland. These are incredible emotions: to look into the admiring eyes of the spectators who don’t want your performance to end.
I thank our University for uniting more than one generation of Cheremosh Ensemble participants since 1963. And the student environment of Lviv brought me to the circle of public activists and volunteers. Together we helped at numerous concerts and forums, organized projects and charity events. Just during one of the volunteer events – “European Heritage Days in Lviv”, I learned many new facts about the history of the city and met leading guides. I am infinitely glad that this is how it turned out, and now I can present myself as the vice-president of the Lviv Youth Club.
About University
These are bright and unforgettable moments, as well as good life lessons. There is a lot of information that you need to study and understand, be able to formulate and express your opinion on one or another phenomenon. And the Faculty of History once again proved to me that foreign languages are important. Thanks to my term papers and Bachelor’s thesis, I am able to read in Russian, Polish, English and German. And it’s cool, because I was also able to discover incredible things. Also with fellow students from my specialization “European Historical Regionalism” we somehow became friends in a special way, and now we have our own jokes and phrases that we always remember with a smile.
Impressions of the dormitory are special. There, by chance, I met people who became close friends of mine, with whom I want to continue my friendship for a long, long time after graduation. I fell in love with the magical sunsets that can be seen from the 12th floor where I live. And it’s cool when every day you have the opportunity to see from the window of the room the Town Hall, the High Castle, the spiers of the Church of Saints Olga and Elizabeth and St. George’s Cathedral.
And of course, how can we not mention the defense of the bachelor’s thesis and the state exams which took place on the Zoom platform. As our teachers said: “You will go down in history.” And indeed, this is the first time everyone has encountered this. We were more scared than our predecessors, because we were worried not only about how to defend the work successfully, but also about the technical aspects.
About study
It was often difficult to study, because we had a lot of things to write and read. I didn’t try to get excellent grades in all subjects, but I got marks deserved by my own knowledge. And this, I think, is one of the most important lessons of student life. Diploma with honors or without – it does not matter: the main thing that is left in your head and what it gave you.
On the relevance of the profession of historian
Historia est magistra vitae – History is the teacher of life. And I completely agree with that. The war in the East of our state and the occupation of Crimea is another proof that it is important to know and understand history in order to prevent mistakes made in the past. It’s not just about dates and political events, it’s also about people, their lives, emotions. History also teaches us to comprehend everything that happens critically. We must leave to descendants our history, shown in the true light, and, in addition, discover the unknown. And that is what historians do. If we understand history, and not memorize dry facts in the style of “date-event”, the attitude to history and the profession of historian will change. In one of the first-year seminars, the teacher told us, “I don’t require you to know all the dates perfectly, but I want you to understand the essence of the process.”
TOP 3 reasons to choose the profession of historian
1. You learn to think critically.
Critical information analysis in the 21st century is one of the most needed skills. The Faculty of History teaches this. For each statement we can ask dozens of questions and look for answers.
2. Knowledge of history – the key to the development of our state.
How can we build the future when we do not know the lessons of the past? We repeat the same mistakes and, in fact, do not preserve our history, because we do not know exactly what to preserve.
3. Personal interest.
If you feel that you are interested in history, then it is definitely YOUR profession. It is not necessary to listen to the thesis: “It is unpromising”. Yes, the profession of historian is not in the TOP professions of the XXI century, but teaches many skills. To become a true professional, you need to love your work, not to look only for popularity.
About the choice of profession and stereotypes
Enjoying studying history. I have heard more than once next things: “So you will work as a teacher then, won’t you?”, “There is no prospect” and so on. I didn’t care. I knew that the only faculty where I saw myself as a student was history. I read a lot of books on history, in 8th and 9th grades I was a student of the Ternopil branch of the Academy of Sciences and wrote a research paper on the family ties of Mykhailo Hrushevsky in my hometown – Skala-Podilska. My teacher, Oksana Underko, also inspired me as a historian, and her lessons were my favorite. In addition, in 2013, when I first came to Lviv, I had one accident. Our class was brought on an excursion to the State Memorial Museum of Mykhailo Hrushevsky. It was very interesting for me to see the house, the old man’s personal belongings and family photos. I admired each exhibit. But at the end of the tour, I realized that I already know almost all the information thanks to scientific work at the Academy of Sciences. At the end of the museum visit, a conversation ensued between my teacher, me and the guide. At the end of the conversation, an employee of the Memorial Museum told me: “You have a place in our history department.” So was it possible to think of other faculty after such words? During that trip, I first saw the main building of Ivan Franko National University of Lviv and just fell in love with the University and the city. All these events helped me understand at the age of 14 that I want to study there. And I thank the parents who supported my choice without any objections.
About training courses and teachers
The most interesting for me were courses from teachers of my native Department of Modern and Contemporary History of Foreign Countries: History of Modern and Contemporary Times of Western Europe and North America, History of Eastern XX-XXI Centuries, European Integration: History and Modernity, History of Separatist Movements in Western half of the XX – early XXI century, Colonial policy and cultural influences of France in the XIX – early XXI century, “Other” and “foreign”: xenophobia in France in the XIX – early XXI century, National minorities of Canada in the policy of federal governments ( second half of the XX – beginning of the XXI century.), Cultural and historical development of the Jews of Central and Eastern Europe of modern times. I attended with great interest the lectures of Bohdana Volodymyrivna Sypko, Ruslan Bohdanovych Siromskyy, Nazar Andriyovych Vaskiv, Oleh Zinoviyovych Dukh and Roman Bohdanovych Tarnavskyy, who not only revealed completely unknown things to us, but also with the help of illustrations, films and books encouraged our perception of new material. I won’t never forget lectures, advice, wise instructions and a special approach to teaching of Baran Zoya Anatoliyivna and Poleschuk Tamara Serhiyivna.
About student life
Immediately after entry, in 2016, I began to participate in the activities of the Student Council and the Faculty Union Bureau. I remember with special warmth when in the first year our team was preparing a Creative Evening. We sang a lot, danced in the dorm and just enjoyed our time together. At the same time we were wearing T-shirts with the emblem of the Faculty. It was an unforgettable evening. An unofficial dedication in the Carpathians is also remembered for everyone. And I still keep in mimd the moments when I gave lectures for freshmen of other faculties about the November breakdown of 1918. It was so unusual: you enter the auditorium, and you are greeted “Good afternoon!” and perceived as a real teacher. As Deputy Chairman of the Faculty Union Bureau, I have been involved in more practical matters, especially in recent months. For example, several times I was a member of the Scholarship Commission of the Faculty, a participant in a meeting with the Attestation Commission of the educational and professional program “History and Archeology” and spoke during the Applicant’s Day. This gave me more understanding that students at our University are really “heard” and they have an influence. There is an awareness that student life is not only a hanging out with groupmates, but also many serious things that not everyone notices.
The most memorable moment from student years
In fact, there are many such memories, but I will tell you about a very special and interesting – Archaeological practice. Under the leadership of Nataliya Yaroslavivna Stebliy, my group had this practice in Busk. For 2 weeks the shovel became our best friend, and the phrase “do not stand on the edge” sounded dozens of times every day. It was a bit funny and unusual when 20 people walked through the central part of the city, passing the market and the bus station with shovels in their hands and digging in the city park. Locals looked at us, asked where we were going and why we were doing it. In the evenings, we gathered as a group and filled in the archeological diary together, talking a lot, joking, playing games or watching movies. The religious holidays of Saints John, Peter and Paul were celebrated during our internship, so having a day off, we went on a tour. In one day we visited Oleskyy and Pidhoretskyy castles, and also got to Plisne hillfort, where senior students of our Faculty conducted excavations. By the way, the most vivid memory from practice is the excavation work. In recent days, when its depth reached more than 2 meters, we found a burial of the twelfth century. Together with my gtoupmate we cleared the first skeleton found. He had preserved almost all the bones and teeth. The guys jokingly called him Dmitryk. These were real impressions and emotions that became a memory for a lifetime.
Lifehack for entrants
Take it easier and everything will be fine. Don’t learn by heart but try to understand. Teachers value your own thoughts more than words learned from textbooks. It is much more important to remember how can you use knowledge than what you will retell from books. Take the opportunity and do not be afraid! Join the activities of the Student Government, where you will be able to discover new aspects. Also meet new people, because except from knowledge, this is the most valuable thing you get at University. I know it from personal experience. No wonder why the student years are said to be the best period of life.