Empathetic Entrepreneurship

Story by Fiona Corr '25
Image Courtesy Roman Moskalenko

Roman Moskalenko ’26 works to support Ukraine.

Roman Moskalenko '26

At 16, Roman Moskalenko ’26 (pictured) embarked on a solo journey across the world.

He left his family in Kyiv, Ukraine. Moskalenko’s cross-continental ticket brought him to a California private school.

He landed at the school with a bundle of nerves and limited English proficiency. Nonetheless, he adjusted—meeting his now wife, discovering Lehigh and forming an idea that sparked his entrepreneurial career.

The idea came to him during his senior year of high school. Driven by a desire to share his culture, he created LearnUA. On one side, LearnUA is an educational platform that teaches languages, primarily Ukrainian. On the other, it’s a philanthropic entity, aiding Ukrainians at war.

With help from people he’s met at Lehigh, Moskalenko, a business information systems major, is continuing to expand LearnUA’s platform and outreach. His effort in the project has been recognized in numerous ways.

He won the medal For Sacrifice and Love for Ukraine in 2023, for his response to the war impacting his home. At Lehigh, he was awarded the Daniel Katz ’23P Family Endowment Fund for Entrepreneurship and the Office of Technology Transfer Award.

“There’s no kind of success or achievement I’m trying to work for,” Moskalenko says, “but I’m happy to be doing good things for my country and to receive recognition for that.