Archbishop and Metropolitan of Philadelphia and President of Ukrainian Catholic University Borys Gudziak was included in the list of 100 Ukrainians who are shaping Ukraine’s independence and future, according to the “Ukrainian Truth (Ukrainska Pravda) UP100” ranking. The list also includes three alumni of Ukrainian Catholic University, one lecturer, and two UCU senators.

UCU Alumni in the UP100 List

Among the UCU alumni named are:

  • Oleksandr Shyrshyn, former battalion commander of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade “Mahura,” Captain (callname “Genius”)
  • Ostap Yarysh, former political analyst at Voice of America (until 2025) and representative of the Razom for Ukraine Foundation
  • Oleksandr Babenko, documentary photographer and videographer

MP and Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech Yaroslav Yurchyshyn is a lecturer at UCU.

This is the third time that Ukrainska Pravda has presented the UP100 list. This year’s theme, “The Edge of Choice / Choice at the Edge,” reflects the time we live in. According to the publication, it is “about the fragile line on which Ukraine stands today — situations where decisions no longer have a comfort zone, where it is impossible to stay on the sidelines, and every choice is a test of values, faith, and trust.”

“2025 has become a year of difficult decisions. We are learning to live on the edge — between fatigue and strength, between compromise and principle, between adapting and remaining ourselves. Choice has become not only political or professional, but deeply personal. That is why this year’s 100 are stories of people who make choices at the edge. Leaders who make decisions where others remain silent. Those who take responsibility when it is hardest, because true leadership today is the ability to make choices when there are no right answers,” Ukrainska Pravda emphasized.

Archbishop Borys Gudziak

Archbishop Borys was included in the category “Society.” According to Ukrainska Pravda, he is a person whose presence can be felt even at a distance. Honesty, service, and love for people are three traits that define him and are incredibly needed in Ukraine today.

The award organizers quote Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, who said:

“It is a great honor for Lviv that the archbishop is an honorary citizen of our city. Every initiative he starts always yields good and very visible results. The brightest example is the creation and development of Ukrainian Catholic University. UCU has become a benchmark university — a model of educational quality, ethics, and governance. This is a private university without state funding, yet one of the strongest in Ukraine. Ukrainian youth dream of studying there… Although the oceanic distance between Lviv and Philadelphia is great, with him you don’t feel it. For me, he is a person of great dignity and great love. A person who inspires.”

Oleksandr Shyrshyn

Former battalion commander of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade “Mahura,” Captain Oleksandr “Genius” Shyrshyn, a graduate of UCU’s Master’s Program in Nonprofit Management, was included in the “Defenders” category.

Former press officer of the 47th Brigade Anastasiia Blyshchyk said:

“Oleksandr Shyrshyn was one of the few who truly prepared for a large-scale war. What is now advised to those ‘not born for war,’ Genius did a month before the full-scale invasion — he chose his place of service himself. At first, he served in one of the Air Assault brigades and later transferred to the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade ‘Mahura.’”

He became widely known when historian Timothy Snyder published a photo of him reading a book in a trench.

“Oleksandr Shyrshyn has remarkable intellect, charisma, and, most importantly, a clear understanding of what he is fighting for… People like Shyrshyn stand to the end — not for glory, but for the cause they believe in,” Blyshchyk added.

Ostap Yarysh

Former political analyst at Voice of America and representative of Razom for Ukraine, Ostap Yarysh is a graduate of UCU’s School of Journalism and Communications. He was included in the “Society” category.

Journalist Myroslava Gongadze noted that, although Yarysh’s life has included many cities, studios, and editorial rooms, two points have remained constant: Lviv, where he was born and raised, and Ukraine, which he has never stopped explaining to the world.

After the closure of Voice of America, Ostap joined the advocacy team of Razom for Ukraine in Washington as a media advisor. He now works to strengthen Ukraine’s presence in the U.S. media space and build information campaigns that influence positions, decisions, and narratives.

“He works with Ukrainian and international media as a commentator, analyst, and explainer of complex processes in simple language. He speaks English, Polish, and Spanish — but always with Ukraine in his heart,” Gongadze emphasized.

Oleksandr Babenko

Mstyslav Chernov and Oleksandr Babenko, director and camera operator of the film “2000 Meters to Andriivka,” were included in the “Culture” category. Babenko is a graduate of UCU’s History program and the School of Journalism and Communications.

Cultural scholar Yuliia Kovalenko, Program Director of the Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, said:

“‘2000 Meters to Andriivka’ shocks — to the extent necessary to remove even the subtlest rose-colored glasses of life in the rear and soberly see the price at which our defenders literally reclaim every 10 meters of land. People who should be studying at universities, working in peaceful cities, and loving and building families give their youth, dreams, health, and lives for this.”

She added that Chernov and Babenko’s film creates an impulse for morally responsible and conscious interaction between the viewer and the image of war.

Yaroslav Yurchyshyn

Member of Parliament and Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech Yaroslav Yurchyshyn is a lecturer at UCU and a graduate of the Good Governance certificate program at UCU’s School of Public Administration. He was named among the top public administrators by Ukrainska Pravda.

Valerii Pekar, Head of the NGO Decolonization, said:

“Yaroslav is not afraid of difficult problems and hard compromises with people of different views. He moved from civic activism into politics, accepted this challenge, and responds to it with dignity every day of his parliamentary work. For me, he is a living argument that politics in Ukraine can be moral.”

UCU Senators in the Business Category

In the “Business” category, the UP100 list also included UCU senators:

  • Kateryna Zagoriy, Member of the Board of Directors of the pharmaceutical company Darnytsia and co-founder of the Zagoriy Foundation
  • Viktor Ivanchyk, Founder and CEO of the agro-industrial holding Astarta and co-founder of the charitable foundation Believe in Yourself

The Zagoriy Foundation and Believe in Yourself are long-time friends and donors of UCU, supporting the development of the university’s students and faculty.

The community warmly congratulates its president, alumni, lecturer, and senators on this recognition and thanks them for their service to Ukraine’s independence and future.

You can view the full “UP100” list here:
https://www.pravda.com.ua/projects/2025/11/26/8009108/

Source: Ukrainska Pravda