Ukrainian student Vitalii Yashchuk with his Los Alamos County business license and samples of books he is selling. He is in the U.S. through the Southwestern Advantage Summer Program for college students to earn money and gain work experience by selling educational materials. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

Vitalii Yashchuk, a Ukrainian graduate student from the SGH Warsaw School of Economics in Poland, has limitless ambitions. In fact, he crossed half the globe and arrived in the small town of Los Alamos last week to pursue a few of them.

Through the Southwestern Advantage Summer Program, Yashchuk, 22, is looking to raise funds for his education, explore U.S. culture and further develop his business skills.

According to its website, southwesternadvantage.com, Southwestern Advantage is an entrepreneurial program for college students worldwide. It utilizes a single-level direct sales business model. Students work as contractors, running their own business selling educational resources to families door-to-door through cold-calling and referrals.

These resources include books that cover curriculum from pre-school all the way through to college-prep, Yashchuk said.

Students pay wholesale costs for the books as well as living expenses and keep the profits made from their sales. This is particularly important for Yashchuk, who said he is using the funds to pay for school. Being from a country engulfed in a war, Yashchuk said his family isn’t able to financially assist him.

Yashchuk explained he discovered this program through his school.

“I just wanted to help my parents, so they don’t have to pay a lot for my education…”

To work in Los Alamos, Yashchuk did receive a business license from Los Alamos County. The program runs through the summer, but he said he plans to work in Los Alamos for a month.

While he is offering his business in Los Alamos, Yashchuk said he is living with a host family in Santa Fe.

It isn’t just about making money.

“I am more up here to experience the culture, to see the people, to talk about education …,” Yashchuk said.

The program selects where students will be stationed, he added. This is not the first time Yashchuk has participated in the Southwestern Advantage program, in fact, it is his fifth year. Previously, he traveled to Idaho, Alberta, Canada, California and Nevada. Although he did not pick the location, “I love it here,” Yashchuk said. “It’s such a nice experience, to be a part of this American home … I love New Mexico cuisine.”

However, he said he needs to adjust to the altitude and the hot weather.

No matter the location, Yashchuk said the biggest impact of being involved in Southwestern Advantage is living with host families.

“It’s an amazing experience, to be a part of this American home, American family, it’s amazing,” he said.

Yashchuk added he continues to keep in touch with previous host families.

He also bonds with his fellow college entrepreneurs. This year, Yashchuk said 14 other Ukrainian students are living and working in Santa Fe.

They plan to meet every weekend “doing different cultural activities together.”

For instance, Yashchuk said they met this past weekend for a barbecue at a host families’ house.

The experience also enhances his skills and knowledge in business and sales.

“What I like about sales … are the skills that I am getting – how to talk to the people, how to ask questions …,” Yashchuk said.

He added having experience in sales and developing people skills can be applied anywhere. Plus, Yashchuk said he has learned a lot from talking to his host families and customers.

“Usually, I’m asking them questions … They’re sharing with me their stories … I can learn from their experiences that I can apply to my own life right now or for my life in the future … I feel like that is very useful,” he said.

To reach out to Yashchuk regarding purchasing books, visit his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VitaliiBookman.