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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ТРАВЕНЬ 2016 WWW.UNWLA.ORG 15 SOFIA’S JOURNEYS The March 2016 issue of Our Life featured a Ukrainian-language article about how young Ukrainian Americans can help Ukraine by going there as volunteer teachers. The author, Ory- sia Soroka of UNWLA Branch 137, noted that this can be a mutually beneficial experience that allows students in Ukraine to learn about life in America and simultaneously allows young Ukrainian Americans visiting their ancestral homeland to reconnect with their roots and gain a better understanding of a country that continues its struggle to establish itself as a truly inde- pendent sovereign state while defending itself against a rapacious neighbor that wants to reas- sert its imperial hold over Eastern Europe in general with Ukraine as the ultimate prize in par- ticular. Ms. Soroka also forwarded to us an article written by her daughter Sofia, a young woman born in Ukraine but raised in the United States who has recently worked as a volunteer teacher at UCU while also working to fulfill requirements of an Advanced Study Grant from Boston College. Published in the December 2015 issue of Kaleidoscope International Jour- nal , Sofia’s article, “Ukrainian Politics Since the Euromaidan,” provides an interesting analysis of contemporary Ukraine. The article we are featuring in this month’s issue of Our Life is based on an interview with Ms. Soroka who graciously agreed to share details of her life, her work, her recent experiences in Ukraine, and her views on Ukraine’s future. – tsc How old were you when you came to America? How did it feel to go back to Ukraine? I was five years old when I moved to America. When leaving Ukraine, I told my grandmother that I would just take a ride on the airplane and come right back. Since moving here in 2000, my family tries to go back every few years, but before I went in the summer of 2015, I hadn’t been in Ukraine for four years. It was amazing to go back but complicated in that identity is almost relative: In America I identify as a Ukrainian (partly be- cause I attended Ukrainian Saturday school and participated in CYM, speak Ukrainian at home and eat Ukrainian food), but in Ukraine I am “the American” with my accent and clothing, ideas, etc. Aside from this mini-identity crisis, it was incredible to be among “my people,” where every- one speaks the same language, has the same reli- gion and tradition. I felt immediately connected to most of the people I met . . . the external divi- sions (race, language, nationality, culture) present in America were nonexistent. Why did you choose to go to Boston Col- lege? Was it a good choice? BC’s campus is very compact and its own little community. Moreover, Boston is a great city for college; there are so many other students here and things to do and see. . . . The emphasis is on undergraduates, and there are fewer than 10,000 students, which is comfortable. BC is a liberal arts school, which means I was required to take phi- losophy and theology along with other classes to fulfill university core requirements. This gave me a really good broad general understanding of many subjects and connected me with professors in different faculties. One reason that I had the opportunity to conduct research in Ukraine is be- cause my political science professor took the initi- ative to nominate me for the Advanced Study Grant; this kind of close interaction is somewhat more difficult at a larger university. I also love the Jesuit aspect of the school, that we have crucifixes in classrooms and mass on campus and are fre- quently reminded of the Jesuit ideals in class. What made you decide to choose Interna- tional Studies and Economics? I am concentrating on Economics within the In- ternational Studies major (other concentrations include Political Science, Ethics and International Social Justice, Global Cultural Studies). I chose this major because it is interdisciplinary and al- lows me to take classes in diverse fields (from his- tory and politics to economics and ethics) all within one major. I like economics because it is almost like quantified psychology—you study mo- tivation and interests but in a way that has great implications for local policies and international action. When and how did you get the grant from Boston College? My political science professor from freshman year emailed me one day, informing me of the oppor- tunity to do independent university-funded re- search and asking if I would like to be nominated.
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