Five VMU Students Awarded the Dr. V. and S. Čepukėnas Scholarship for Promoting Francophone Culture
From the left: Milda Krivickienė, Neila Baumilienė, Rasa Čepukėnaitė, Raimonda Mc Geever, Aliya Zhumabayeva and Raminta Dimšaitė
On June 23rd, the Dr. Vaclovas and Dr. Stefanija Čepukėnas Named Scholarships were awarded for the third time at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU). This scholarship is granted to students for their outstanding contribution to the promotion and dissemination of the French language and Francophone culture in society.
This year, the scholarship was awarded to five recipients: Raimonda Mc Geever, a graduate of the Faculty of Humanities in Foreign Languages and Cultures: Francophone Studies; Karolina Žilytė, a master’s student in Diplomacy and International Relations at the Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy; Raminta Dimšaitė, a bachelor’s student in Italian Studies and Romance Languages at the Faculty of Humanities; and Daria Livshyts and Aliya Zhumabayeva, bachelor’s students in Business Administration at the Faculty of Economics and Management.
The scholarships were presented during the Faculty of Humanities’ graduation ceremony. They were awarded by the initiators and patrons of the scholarship: Neila Baumilienė, Executive Director of the Kazickas Family Foundation’s New York branch, and the Čepukėnas’ daughters, Milda Krivickienė and Rasa Čepukėnaitė, along with Almantė Meškauskienė, Deputy Director of the VMU Institute of Foreign Languages.
In her congratulatory speech, Rasa Čepukėnaitė shared a few words about the people whose legacy the scholarship honors: “Our parents began working at VMU from the very first day of the university’s re-establishment. They were devoted patriots of Lithuania, French language lecturers, and philanthropists who cared deeply about nurturing the younger generation.”
Before the official award ceremony, the recipients met with the scholarship founders for an informal gathering and conversation. The students and graduate shared personal stories about how they first encountered the French language, what inspired them to study it, and how they plan to use the scholarship support for meaningful development. Neila Baumilienė, the scholarship initiator and VMU alumna, also shared how, as a student, she came to know both Dr. Vaclovas and Dr. Stefanija Čepukėnas, and how the idea for the scholarship was born.
Their daughters, Milda Krivickienė and Rasa Čepukėnaitė, also spoke about their parents. According to them, Dr. Stefanija Čepukėnienė was known for her remarkable dedication to
teaching: “The academic world meant everything to her – she gave all her energy to her students. She never did things halfway – she gave one hundred percent. At the end of each academic year, she would invite her entire group to a café – to celebrate their achievements, to simply connect. The bond between her and her students went far beyond academics – she was not only a lecturer, but a guide, a supporter, a true mother figure.”
Almantė Meškauskienė, Deputy Director of the VMU Institute of Foreign Languages, expressed joy that every year many students at VMU choose to study the French language and Francophone culture, along with many other languages: “Each year, in each semester, we offer 22–24 foreign languages at the university. Quite often the teachers are native speakers, and students choose languages not only for professional growth, but also for personal enrichment.”
The Dr. Vaclovas and Dr. Stefanija Čepukėnas Named Scholarship at VMU was established on the initiative of alumna Neila Baumilienė, Executive Director of the Kazickas Family Foundation (New York branch), with support from the foundation itself. The scholarship was created to honor the Čepukėnas family’s legacy and contribution.
Financial support is also provided by the Čepukėnas daughters, Rasa and Milda. The goal of the scholarship is to promote the French language and Francophone culture by enabling active students to deepen their studies and foster greater awareness in society.
About Dr. Vaclovas and Dr. Stefanija Čepukėnas
Dr. Vaclovas and Dr. Stefanija Čepukėnas were long-standing lecturers at Vytautas Magnus University and devoted patriots of Lithuania. Throughout their professional lives, they actively participated in civic life, engaged in philanthropic work, and provided support to those with limited access to education.
Dr. Vaclovas Čepukėnas was a Doctor of Psychology, a French language lecturer in both school and university settings, and an active participant in Lithuania’s armed resistance. During World War II, he served as a volunteer fighter with the Homeland Defense Group. For his civic contributions, he was awarded the Medal of the Founders of the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
Dr. Stefanija Čepukėnienė held a doctorate in the humanities, was a professor of French at VMU, and was among the university’s early and most devoted educators after its re-establishment.
