Ostroh Academy Students present a unique gift to their alma mater

Two hundred students of National University of Ostroh Academy, wearing black robes and holding up letters in each of their hands, lined up on the university court grandstands. This was part of an action called We Hold Our Lives in our Hands, a gift from the students to their alma mater in honor of the 432nd anniversary of its founding. Ostroh Academy is not only Eastern Europe’s first institution of higher education but also a university that upholds the unique traditions of the past.

The 400 letters in their hands formed a message of gratitude from the students of Ostroh Academy to its founder, the distinguished Ukrainian philanthropist Prince Vasyl-Kostiantyn Ostrozky:

“Prince Vasyl-Kostiantyn Ostrozky, the prominent enlightener of the Ukrainian people! The students of National University of Ostroh Academy are proud of the majestic history of the Volhynian Athens and their alma mater, Eastern Europe’s first school of higher education. We appreciate the chance to study in the finest traditions of higher education, which were established by Vasyl-Kostiantyn Ostrozky, and we are ready to devote the best aspirations of our hearts to serving independent Ukraine. Long live Ostroh Academy!”

This is a record-setting event because there are records of a similar event being held anywhere else. Ostroh Academy is a unique phenomenon, and this is by no means the last record that will be set by its students.