ASHLAND, Ohio — On a Tuesday morning on Ashland University's campus, a classroom of students were poised to begin their international relations class, textbooks at the ready, pens in hand. The students discussed current events, bringing up topics they had read about in the headlines that week and engaging in conversation with their professor and classmates.
But in that classroom, four students, in particular, were perhaps a bit too familiar with issues of global conflict and geopolitical maneuvering. Oleksandra (Sasha) Bibik, Dana Krukovska, Maksym Polianskyi, and Dmytro Solomianiuk are all from Ukraine, continuing their education in Ohio after their lives were disrupted by war.
All four are participating in Ashland University’s Ukrainian Freedom Scholar program, which is providing five scholarships to Ukrainian students impacted by war. The initiative is in collaboration with the Ukrainian Global University, a network of institutions around the world supporting Ukrainian students to continue learning, and to use those educations to help Ukraine.
“The entire higher education in Ukraine was affected just like every other industry and sector. And so these universities and scholars from Ukraine, they just called everybody, all academics from around the world asking if, you know, people can help, and what it is that we can do to support Ukrainian scholars, Ukrainian students,” said Olga Monacell, assistant professor of communication and director of the graduate program in strategic communication and leadership at Ashland University.
For Monacell, the war in Ukraine was personal, and she looked to take action in some way. Monacell grew up in Ukraine, leaving at the age of 17 to go to college.
“I felt the connection, you know, this was my homeland being attacked and at war, and I felt like I needed to do something about it,” she said.
When she heard about the Ukrainian Global University, she approached the Ashbrook Center, an independent center at Ashland University, hoping they would be able to help. The Center was able to offer five scholarships for Ukrainian students to attend Ashland University, creating the Ukrainian Freedom Scholar initiative.
Monacell said the Ukrainian Global University program had already collected applications from Ukrainian students whose educational journeys were impacted by war. Monacell and her colleagues then proceeded in conducting Zoom interviews over the summer with the students, eventually narrowing down to the four who are currently on campus. Monacell noted the students’ impressive grades, bravery, and grasp of the English language.
Monacell said while they offered five scholarships, there are currently four students attending the university. Monacell said another finalist opted to attend a different school, and another decided they ultimately did not want to leave home and their family behind during the war.
“After the war, Ukraine will have to be rebuilt,” Monacell said. “And these are the young people who will have to do it.”
The four Ukrainian students at Ashland University all shared they are dedicated to the prospect of returning to Ukraine to help rebuild after the war, and are keen to use what they learn during their time in the United States and share it with others back home.
“That's kind of what stimulates me to now gain this knowledge and bring it back to Ukraine, kind of try to rebuild this,” said 17-year-old Maksym Polianskyi from Odesa. His family left for Romania during the war. “In my case, it'll be in the political way because I really want to do great changes that will affect everyone.”
"I felt really nervous because I didn't really want to leave my family because they're always in danger. And I was - I'm still always worried about them, especially when I know that they have an air raid,” said 17-year-old Oleksandra Bibik, whose family is still in Kyiv. “I also thought about how this opportunity will help me to just rebuild my country when the war ends. So I think that it's a wonderful thing that we are here."
While the students are eager to learn as much as possible from their time in Ohio, they are also eager to share their stories with others, and engage in conversations about Ukraine.
“Here I'm - like I could say [an] ‘educational envoy,’ I'm talking with students, with professors about Ukraine,” said 21-year-old Dmytro Solomianiuk, of Lviv. “Telling them about our history, about the situations, because I'm a citizen and I know what's happening in my country.”
As they continue to adjust to life in America, they’re also navigating cultural differences. For example, the students said they felt the American university setting is less formal than in Ukraine, with students able to joke with and have a sense of familiarity with their professors.
They also shared the challenges in getting accustomed to American units of measure and sizing, especially when it comes to portions. Polianskyi and Solomianiuk laughing about their experience ordering food at the Arby’s near campus.
“We have ordered a medium size drink and it like, ‘whoa!’” laughed Solomianiuk.
“It’s like two extra large!” Polianskyi chimed in.
While these students study and continue to adapt, they also grapple with the knowledge that their country is still at war, their loved ones potentially in harm’s way.
17-year-old Dana Krukovska and her family had to flee from their hometown of Kakhovka after it was occupied by Russian forces. Krukovska said because her mother worked for the department of education there, their family was no longer safe. She described hiding in the homes of family and friends for 19 days, before eventually packing her life into a small duffel bag and leaving.
At her desk in her dorm room, she leafed through a handful of family photos, explaining these were the only ones she was able to grab because they left in a rush. She also said she had to delete photos with Ukrainian imagery or symbols from her phone, in case Russian troops were to search her.
On Instagram, she flipped through posts that had been shared with her, depicting the school she attended and loved growing up, now badly damaged.
“The situation there is awful,” she said. “Because Russians [are] shelling and striking missiles in my city, they are slowly destroying it. Now we have almost all schools destroyed, so there won’t be any education for the next few years for children in our town.”
Krukovska said her mother and father are now in Western Ukraine, but her extended family is still living under Russian occupation. She said it can be difficult to reach them due to power outages and communication difficulties. When she does catch them on the phone, she said she can hear the sound of war in the background.
“I feel safe. I'm in [a] peaceful country. I can study. But I still need to understand that my family is still in danger,” she said.
Still, like her classmates, she’s focusing on her schoolwork, dedicated to giving back to her country one day.
“I love Ukraine because it's my home country. My parents grew up there, I grew up there. I love people there, I love our language, our history, our culture. It's something really unique and important,” she said. “And I just want to save our culture, and I want future generations to grow in [a] beautiful and developed Ukraine.”
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EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above previously aired on 3News on Feb. 21, 2023.