Imagine if Kansas City was being attacked, and you were forced to flee. This was the case for Stella Skorobogach, when terrorists threatened the area just 200 miles from her home in Mariupol, Ukraine.

Stella was born in a small city in Ukraine. She is the third of four children in her family. “I have an older sister, who is 29 years old and has two children, an older brother who is 21, and a younger brother who is 8,” said Stella. “We are all very close.”

In 2013, tensions grew between the Ukraine and their neighbor, Russia. A little over a year ago, Stella’s family lost their father.

“He was killed by a Russian terrorist while on his way home from work,” said Stella.

“After this happened, my friends from Chicago invited me to come stay for a month with them” said Stella. She used this time to take a break and relax before school started.   

Her older sister reached out to her about an opportunity to live in St. Louis.

“My sister met this family at a camp in Ukraine about 15 years ago. They still keep in touch, so she contacted them,” said Stella. This family took Stella in and decided to enroll her in Westminster.

When she moved to St. Louis, she finally began to learn the English language. “They offered

English at my school in Ukraine, but I never really payed attention. In Chicago, I lived with a Russian family. We spoke Russian to each other, so I never learned how to speak English until this summer,” said Stella.

When Stella came to Westminster, she was surprised by how different it was from her school in Ukraine. In Ukraine, students take similar subjects, but they do not fully learn and remember the concepts they are taught.

“In America, you learn information that you will remember all the time. In Ukraine, it’s different,” said Stella. “The teachers teach the material, but after the test, you forget it all.”

As expected, Stella admits that she misses her family, friends, and church.  At the same time, she loves America and the people here.

“In the United States, the people actually care about each other. They ask each other how they are and smile. In Ukraine, you can’t trust anyone. Everyone just wants money,” said Stella.

Stella wishes to go visit her family in Ukraine but also continue her studies in America. “I will

probably go this winter or summer to try and get a student VISA, but I’m not sure if the Ukrainian

government will give me one,” said Stella. “I want to graduate school here and maybe go to college.” She fears that if she returns to Ukraine and they do not give her a VISA, then she will be stuck there to finish her studies.