Perseverance: Ukrainian Students in Canada During the Russian Invasion

Friday – 1 November 2024 – 6:30-8pm MDT – In-Person

St. John’s Cultural Centre, 10611 110 Ave NW, Edmonton

Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies

This evening event will feature Ukrainian students who were accepted to study at the University of Alberta after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The students will present their perspectives on the past and present situation in Ukraine and share their vision of Ukraine’s future and of the role of youth in its rebuilding. They will also discuss their experience of studying in Canada and how the knowledge and expertise they received can benefit Ukraine and Canada.

𝗢𝗹𝗲𝗸𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮 𝗞𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗿 is a Master’s student at the University of Alberta in Sociocultural Anthropology, working under the supervision of Marko Zivkovic, and a research assistant in the Department of History, Classics, and Religion. She completed her BA in International Relations and European Studies at Coventry (UK) and Lazarski (Poland) Universities with honours, then obtained an MA with distinction in Culture, Media, and Society jointly from the Polish Academy of Science and Lancaster University. Her academic interest resides in exploring political, historical, and social processes in Central and Eastern Europe, specifically in Russia and Ukraine. In her current MA research, Oleksandra applies the lens of sociocultural anthropology and cultural psychology to examine historical “Great Patriotic War” narratives in Kremlin-originated propaganda, providing it with a broader cultural and social context.

𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗮 𝗢𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗻𝗸𝗼 is a Ph.D. student in Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Alberta, as well as a regional representative of Ukraine and member of the board of the European Society for Environmental History and co-founder of the EnvHistUA Research Group. She graduated from Zaporizhia National University in 2007 and obtained the rank of Candidate of Sciences in History from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in 2013. Anna’s research interests are related to the environmental history of Ukraine, especially the Steppe region, and animal studies. Her latest publication is the chapter (co-authored with Stefan Dorondel) “In quest of development: Territorialization and the transformation of the southern Ukrainian wetlands, 1880–1960” in A New Ecological Order: Development and the Transformation of Nature in Eastern Europe (2022). Her current research is dedicated to the history of the Dnipro wetlands in political, cultural, and social contexts.

𝗜𝗴𝗼𝗿 𝗞𝗹𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗸𝗼 is a Ukrainian student currently at the University of Alberta. When Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, Igor wanted to help his country and decided to develop robots for demining. His fundamental R&D work resulted in the Quadcopter Mines Detector. Igor received the Chegg Global Student Prize for 2022. The US$100,000 sister award to the Global Teacher Prize is given to one exceptional student who has made a real impact on learning, the lives of their peers, and broader society. The award allowed him to meet key decision-makers, including Bill Clinton, and speak on major news channels about postwar education and recovery in Ukraine.