I was born in a small town called Sumy, Ukraine, and my family moved to Charlotte when I was twelve. I still have friends and family there, and every summer I would visit my hometown to see them. I attended Hough High School and got into UNC Charlotte in 2022. It was a challenging but exciting journey because the US school system is very different from Ukraine's system. My parents didn't know how it worked here, so I had to figure everything out on my own. I remember scheduling meetings with my school counselor just to ask every question I had: how colleges differ, how to apply for scholarships, what I needed to do, etc.
I didn't even know I was a First-Generation student until my senior year. I thought that because my parents attended college in another country, I didn't qualify. Finding out the truth made me feel proud. Now, I help my younger sister navigate the process and share everything I learned. As my parents say, I was the first one to break new ground. I am proud to be an immigrant and the first in my family to attend an undergraduate program at UNCC.