Stephanie Avtonomova, Ukrainian Catholic University
For the second consecutive year, OIDJ virtually hosted international students as participants. Despite a time difference that kept them working late into the night, these students learned from the OIDJ instructors, connected with the Oklahoma students and produced media work for the website. In this Q&A, Stephanie Avtonomova answers a series of questions.
Q: Where were you born? Where were you living before you moved to London?
A: I am Ukrainian. І was born in Dnipro, at 15 moved to Kyiv, at 17 to Lviv. After a full-scale invasion, before moving to London, I lived in Kamianets-Podilskyi for two months. Therefore, when I am asked “Where are you from?” I usually answer “it’s a complicated question,” because I lived in four parts of Ukraine and visited 24 regions by 2022.
Q: Tell us about your family. Do you have brothers or sisters? If so, are they older or younger than you?
A: I have a small family: mother, older sister and grandmother. Father died 1.5 years ago in front of my eyes.
Q: How old are you? What year are you in school?
A: I’m 18, I finished school a year ago. I had a gap year, during which I studied at the Ukrainian Leadership Academy.
Q: What are some of your favorite classes in school?
A: My favorite subjects at school were Ukrainian language, literature and history. I hate math. This is the only B in my certificate.
Q: What are some of your hobbies or how you spend time outside of school?
A: I graduated from music school two years ago, so I play the piano well and love to sing. I also really like volunteering and organizing social projects.
Q: How does London compare to your home in Ukraine? How is it different? Are there any similarities?
A: My new home in London is very different from the one in Ukraine. Let’s start with the fact that I have it here. In general, I always dreamed of living in a big house with a garden and a dog. Dreams come true.
Q: What has been most difficult about moving to a new country?
A: To be honest, moving to a new country is quite difficult. I haven’t seen my friends for half a year, my life has completely changed. Fortunately, I am close to my family, so I consider this experience as an opportunity to improve my English and get to know a new country.
Q: What are your plans for the future (college, career, things like that?)
A: I received a scholarship for two years for free education and accommodation at the Ukrainian Catholic University, so I plan to return to Ukraine at the end of August. My subject is Culture Studies.
Q: What would you like to say to Americans about the war in Ukraine?
A: The war started eight years ago and is still going on. Ukrainians need your help: material support, dissemination of information about the armed conflict, volunteer assistance. Ukraine is strong, but we can’t do it ourselves!
Q: What else is interesting about you that you would like to share with us?
A: If you are interested in learning more about the war in Ukraine, I advise you to read my article “The Story of Three Eighteen-Year-Old Friends“.
