Student hopes to return to help rebuild Ukraine
A teenager who left Ukraine after the Russian invasion, to settle in the United Kingdom is about to start university.
Sasha Shevchenko, then 15 years old, had a minimum understanding of English when she left the house, and went for the first time in Poland with her mother and aunt, before moving to the United Kingdom and finally settled in Iminster, Herefordshire.
The teenager, now 18, has succeeded in her levels at the Hereford Sixth Form College and next week begins her diploma at the Cardiff Metropolitan University, where she studied international relations and relations.
She said that her ambition was finally to return to Ukraine and to help rebuild the country, hoping that her diploma will help her do so.
Thousands of displaced refugees have now been in the West Midlands for three years, many of them trying to adapt to life in a different country while being separated from relatives.
“Resilient community”
Ms. Shevchenko described how this summer, she returned to Ukraine, to see parents who moved to kyiv for security, for the first time since the invasion in 2022.
“I saw my family. Of course, it was very scary because of the explosions, but it was still a very good experience,” she said.
She described how the community in Ukraine has remained determined and resilient as the conflict continued.
“They couldn’t sleep all night, but then they wake up in the morning and will live their lives,” she said.
The student said that there had been difficult times when she adapted to life in the United Kingdom, but she had adapted.
In addition to passing its GCSE and A levels, one of his other achievements was to pass his driving test. She said: “I had a very good instructor.”
Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC rings,, Facebook,, X And Instagram.
More about this story
Associated Internet links
