A former student of Lord Wandsworth College in Long Sutton has been reflecting on her remarkable journey from Ukraine to the University of Bath.
Sofia Kulynych arrived in England from Ukraine in May 2022. She was 16 and had fled her home in Dnipro with her mother and 18-month-old brother after fighting broke out nearby.
They joined a host family in north Hampshire and Sofia was offered a fully-funded place at Lord Wandsworth.
She said: “We had to leave all of our family behind. It was mainly my stepdad who insisted on us leaving. He was working in information technology but decided that he needed to go and fight. He didn’t want to be worrying about us and said he wanted us to leave and be safe.”
Sofia admitted she felt apprehensive about coming to England.
She said: “I was really nervous because my English wasn’t very good. I was a bit scared about meeting new people and making friends.”
Sofia’s hosts, college staff and fellow students helped her overcome the language barrier.
She said: “I made really good friends and everyone was so supportive. Over time I didn’t need dictionaries or Google Translate anymore.”
Sofia has developed a love of canoeing and Harry Potter - the latter being handy for bridging the cultural divide.
She said: “One of my favourite books is Harry Potter, and when I used to describe England to my family and friends in Ukraine it was sometimes easier to refer to that book!”
This week Sofia moved to the University of Bath to do a degree in politics with economics having earned three A*s and an A at A-level.
Sofia said: “Coming to England and to Lord Wandsworth College changed my life. It now feels like two different lives: me here and me in Ukraine.”