Mr. Iwasko's earliest interest in international affairs grew from his family's rich history. His grandfather, a Ukrainian peasant who taught himself to read and write in several languages, dug ditches in exchange for bread, tobacco, and ultimately enough money to emigrate to America.  When Mr. Iwasko was finally able to visit his family's village of Lypytsia, after the fall of Communism, he discovered that little had changed since his grandfather's departure.  Ukraine still faced deep poverty, as well as corruption.  It became clear to him that economic opportunity was key to raising the standard of living there, and he approached law school with the idea of harnessing the power of investment for social good.
 
While Mr. Iwasko sees a place for public-interest work in places like Ukraine—in fact, his wife is a human rights worker—"the reality of Lypytsia," he says, "is that investing in the local chocolate factory and its 200 workers would do more for the village than debating a human rights treaty in Brussels." 

On the way to law school, Mr. Iwasko spent one year in medical school, and then, from 1999 to 2000, worked for Rep. David Bonior in Michigan.  His work with Congressman Bonior, which involved reaching out to ethnic communities throughout the state and conducting research on issues like the economic embargo on Iraq, deepened his interest in international law.  "And if you're interested in international law, Columbia is the top place," he says.

At Columbia, Mr. Iwasko was an articles and submissions editor for the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law—one of the first publications of its kind in the United States. That, he says, was an outstanding experience because it exposed him to the three pillars of international law: public international law, private international law, and comparative law.  Through the double-degree program in London, he was able to narrow his studies to Eastern Europe and economic development from among some 200 available subjects.  He adds that, when it came time to apply for jobs in Europe, his experience living abroad was taken as a strong sign of his commitment to working internationally. 

Currently an associate with the firm of Kirkland & Ellis in London, Mr. Iwasko works on international private equity and venture capital transactions.  "It's an opportunity for an American lawyer not only to live and work in a foreign country but to gain some expertise in the laws of a variety of European jurisdications," he says.  London has also provided good career opportunities for Mr. Iwasko's wife, Audrey, who works for Amnesty International at its world headquarters.  The couple, who met in a Ukrainian language class at the University of Michigan and whose families knew each other in Ukraine, have just given birth to a baby girl.

Mr. Iwasko was admitted to the New York Bar in September 2004.