By Typically, traveling abroad is an experience to escape everyday life and explore a new part of the world. For Mariia Savchenko, escaping war-torn Ukraine and moving to Helena is a way to try and make life normal again.
“I miss my regular life and routine,” Savchenko said. “I hope no one will feel what I’ve felt watching my home get destroyed.”
Savchenko is a political science major and was a senior at the Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University in Ukraine before it was bombed and destroyed due to the war.
At Carroll, she is starting over again as a freshman, one day hoping to become a journalist with her degree in political science.
“I like to write articles, essays, and read,” Savchenko said. “I just love to learn.”
Savchenko is from Mykolaiv, Ukraine, a southern city near the Black Sea and Crimea.
“Ukraine is still my home, but it doesn’t look like home anymore,” Savchenko said. “It looks like the apocalypse.”
Her journey to Montana started when she entered Bulgaria, living there for a month, then heading to the Czech Republic with her mother.
In the Czech Republic, Savchenko worked while hiding from the war in her home country.
“In October, I got an offer from Carroll to continue my studies,” Savchenko said. “I traveled four days to four countries to get to the United States.”
In those four days, she traveled through Moldova, Austria, and Germany before finally arriving in the U.S. with only one suitcase holding her belongings.
“I started to smile more when I came to the United States,” Savchenko said. “I’m so happy to be here with all the support I receive.”
Before war struck, Savchenko said Ukraine was a green country, full of people and kids enjoying their lives. It was an industrial city with lots of opportunities to study and work.
Savchenko herself was also a manager of a local restaurant before the war.
With a busy schedule of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Savchenko opened and closed the restaurant, hired people, helped guests, and created content for their social media.
“I had a perfect life, and now everything has been destroyed,” Savchenko said. “There isn’t one day I don’t think about the war.”
Since coming to Carroll, Savchenko can return to the classroom and do what she loves, writing and learning.
“I’m happy to be at Carroll,” Savchenko said. “I appreciate my time here, I can continue to study, and everyone is willing to help and support me.”
After arriving at Carroll, Savchenko quickly joined the National and International Student Organization, a club of international students who meet weekly to share their stories and cultures.
Although the small town of Helena might be much different than her home in Ukraine, Savchenko likes the rural, cozy feel and mountains surrounding the area.
With a hectic and depressing year, Savchenko continues to stay positive going into the future.
“The most valuable things in your life are the simplest,” Savchenko said. “Nothing can stop you from succeeding.”
