On October 21, 2025, the Kyiv Mohyla Foundation of America, together with Marta Farion and Maria Klimchak, began the day with meetings between students of the Ukrainian School of Chicago (Stus School of Ukrainian Studies) and Mykola Melnyk, company commander of the 47th Brigade and a Ukrainian public figure активно promoting advocacy for Ukraine worldwide.
A reminder that ahead of meetings in Washington, a panel discussion on the formation of the Ukrainian nation will take place on September 21 at 6:30 PM at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art.
Mykola Melnyk is a lawyer who, starting in 2014, periodically joined volunteer fighters in Avdiivka, later helped defend Kyiv, and in 2022 joined the newly formed 47th Brigade, where he became a commander. He lost his leg during an assault operation in the Zaporizhzhia direction in June 2023.
For his combat service, Senior Lieutenant Melnyk was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky.
The group also attended a memorial service at St. Nicholas Cathedral in honor of the prominent Ukrainian figure Stepan Bandera.
Later, Mykola met with members of the Ukrainian Youth Association at their Chicago headquarters (named after Mykola Pavlushkov). His optimism and active life stance are inspiring Ukrainian-American youth.