If I weren’t a part of Virginia Peninsula, I could not have envisioned becoming a student of William & Mary and achieving success.
Vitaliy Humenyuk's dreams of success motivated him to leave Ukraine and pursue higher education in the United States. The 2017 William & Mary graduate didn't know much English when he settled in Williamsburg almost seven years ago, so he turned to Virginia Peninsula Community College for help. "If I weren't a part of Virginia Peninsula, I could not have envisioned becoming a student of William & Mary and achieving success. Virginia Peninsula has become a compass for me, giving me direction for my professional and personal life. Here I took my first academic steps and learned that I am capable of being successful and achieving my goals," Humenyuk said.
The aspiring international lawyer earned an Associate of Science in Social Science in 2014. He benefited greatly from Virginia Peninsula's hands-on instruction and fondly remembers his experiences with Virginia Peninsula faculty Carl Frick, Peter Berquist, Stacy Schneider and Diana Martin. He is also appreciative of his advisor, Kathy Arcement, who helped him chart a path from Virginia Peninsula to William & Mary. "I would strongly recommend Virginia Peninsula to everyone who [is looking] for an opportunity to develop the necessary skills to be successful at a four-year institution. For me personally, Virginia Peninsula has become the place where I have been taught to be successful and passionate about everything I do. At Virginia Peninsula [I] got a mature understanding of my capabilities, which, in turn, allowed me to develop my full potential for future success at William & Mary," Humenyuk said.
While studying German and European Studies at William & Mary, the summa cum laude graduate was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa honor society, earned an outstanding achievement award and participated in numerous campus activities. He looks forward to continuing his education and serving the community as a lawyer. "When I look at my Virginia Peninsula diploma on the wall, I am thinking not only of the classes that I have taken and what I learned but also of the encouragement and guidance that I received in finding my path to a promising and bright future. So, wherever I will be in the future, whatever I will accomplish, I will always remember that my story [began] at Virginia Peninsula."
"It was especially difficult to pave my educational path by pursuing the highest educational achievements possible, but hard work and perseverance does pay off," Humenyuk said.