Ukrainian students settle into university life at Western’s Ivey Business School
For six Ukrainian students, a peaceful classroom at Western University is a world away from the war in their home country.
“I feel safe here,” said Sofiia Shulga, 21, who is in London, Ont. as part of an exchange.
The six are all enrolled at Western’s Ivey Business School MBA program.
“Everyday we have air alarms in Kyiv and my family's in Kyiv, and that is kind of scary for me,” said Shulga, who phones her mother every day. “She said she loved me. She hoped that I'm okay.”
Six Ukrainian students — five women and one man — were welcomed to Ivey on May 13 with a variety of orientation activities to prepare them to join the MBA program on exchange so they can receive credits for their home institutions.
Anastasiia Nesterenko, Sofiia Shulga, Ulyana Kulchytska, Oksana Kosendiak, Yehor (Egor) Zavortniak, Maksym Savchyn and Alina Byshynska. (Source: Western Ivey Business School)Alina Byshynska and her six-year-old son Yehor (Egor) Zavortniak had to flee with her husband remaining in Ukraine.
All six of them say they are lucky to have their tuition fees waived by the university, as they would never have been able to afford an MBA program.
“We just thought it would be really important to take our role as global citizens and support other students and academics in Ukraine,” said Adam Fremeth, the Ivey MBA director.
The university is raising money through the Academic Shelter Fund to help with additional expenses. The Academic Shelter Fund aims to raise $350,000 to support the Ukrainian exchange students and other students fleeing conflict in the future.
“It is aimed at providing tuition support, housing and anything else they may need,” said Fremeth.
Ulyana Kylchytska was forced to separate her family during the war. Her husband remains working in Lviv, Ukraine, and her children are staying with friends in Switzerland.
Six Ukrainian Students take in an orientation class at Western University’s Ivey Business School MBA Program on May 17, 2022. (Source: Brent Lale/CTV News London)The 45-year-old with human resources experience hopes to return with leadership skills.
“So I will take back knowledge how to build people relations based on values,” says Kylchytska. “To me, this war, it's about values. So I think it will support a lot of things in Ukraine.”
Shulga was a marketing student in Kyiv, specializing in fast moving consumer goods (FMCG).
“I'm looking for FMCG market in our country,” says Shulga. “We tend to focus on the agriculture FMCG market and I want to work to help people eat properly, help people find their healthy way, and to find their love and passion in food.”
The six students will soon be joined by five others and will stay in London until the MBA program finishes in March 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.