Inside Look with student Liza Fomenko a student from Ukraine

As a current student in my junior year of university, you will truly learn a lot. Whether it is through academics, yourself, preparation for the real world, and so much more. We often gain experiences by putting ourselves out there, trying new things, and through meeting people of a variety of interests and backgrounds. I have always held curiosity in learning more about history and different cultures—such as, back in high school, I fed those interests by creating a documentary project discussing the relations between Russia and Ukraine to gain an understanding of the cultural and historical contexts that led to the war. A few months later, I started my first year of university, and met Liza Femenko in our business class. We were assigned to walk and talk around with our peers which is how I came to learn that she is from Ukraine. 

As she described, “to put it shortly, it was a long and challenging journey.” 

When the invasion began in February 2022, she was a fourth-year student at the National Technical University "Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute" (KhPI), pursuing a degree in International Economic Relations. Being mere weeks from graduation, her university was unable to function and allow her to complete her studies due to the daily artillery, rockets, and aerial bombings. Fortunately, through the efforts of her family and help from friends, she made the journey alone to the United States to continue pursuing education at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. Later graduating from the Busch School of Business in Data Analytics and International Business. I became interested in hearing her story and experiences of being a student from Ukraine.

Coming from the second largest city in the Eastern part of Ukraine, Kharkiv is considered as a student city with around 40 different universities. In their culture, higher education is highly valuable and essential in being considered as a successful person. However, she believes the system is old fashioned which can be modernized. The system in Ukraine is not as flexible as it is in the United States, not necessarily preparing students for real-life challenges.

What would you say is, from your perspective, the most commonly held misconception about people of your culture? 

The most commonly held misconception about Ukrainians is that we do not have any advanced technologies. Another thing being, that we speak Russian as our first language.

Did you have ideas and misconceptions about American culture and the US?

Some things I would have never thought of, had I stayed in Ukraine would be how often Americans travel, their involvement in sports as both a participant and spectator, and the ability to find common ground on language, despite originating from completely opposite sides of the world.

How have your experiences in different countries and cultural settings influence you?

Through my travels and the people I've met, I have divulged myself into that of what other cultures have had to offer; tradition, food, history, arts, all things and more that have ultimately shaped me to be the open-minded individual I am today. It is, in my eyes that, living like a local provides me with more insight than that of a tourist or what any student will read in any textbook. I would say that before these travels, I was not the kind of person I speak of now. However, seeing the world for what it is in the limelight, it has truly provided me with more wisdom than any YouTube video or textbook.

I have already hit all four corners of the United States including Florida, Maine, Arizona, and Washington State. I plan to continue exploring the U.S. in the hopes of one day visiting all the states. As for the rest of the world, I have never been to Asia, so it might be the next spot of interest in my journey.

If you are comfortable in sharing, how has the war in Ukraine affected yourself, your family, and country?

The war has tremendously affected multiple aspects of not just my life, but all Ukrainian's alike prior to the war. Some of which are people I would have never thought or have expected to be on the opposing side. Friends, who have never spoken Ukrainian outside of school, now join the front line and defend our country.

If you have any relatives or friends in Ukraine, what have they said about Ukraine and the war?

My parents decided to stay in the Ukraine. My mother in specific, had a chance to visit me once since I moved to the US, and had still decided to return home; her argument being that despite all the odds, Ukraine has been holding Russian aggression for as long as they have, and now is not a time to give up, and continue to keep belief in our country's victory.

What have you been up to since graduating?

Since I graduated, I have been actively looking for a career ladder position in business analytics. I have never been interested in such a career until I began my studies at The Catholic University of America (CUA). I would say the experience at CUA has significantly changed my worldview. 

What career paths and pursuits have you been interested in? 

My plans for the future are to build a career in Analytics, specifically in the sector of International Development. My biggest motivation is to be able to help rebuild my homeland after the war ends.

Chrystel Josol