On Friday, Sept. 29, members of the UNI community came together to celebrate eight UNI freshmen who are over an ocean away from their homes. The UNI Gallery of Art hosted the opening of an exhibition of the works of Waterloo native and Des Moines artist Scott Ross. The works, primarily charcoal on linen, were created by Ross following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine with hopes of inspiring awareness and support for those affected by the violence.

However, the exhibition held extra significance as a space to honor the eight Ukrainian students who have just started their studies at UNI this semester. Seven of them—Liza Yaryshkina, Olya Hinchak, Nadiia Omelchuk, Lucya Shapovalova, Iryna Hodun, Odee Shtefanchuk and Daria Gramotieieva—were part of foreign exchange programs in high school when the war broke out, leaving them stranded in the U.S.

The event was held on day 583 since the full-scale invasion, and each of the students spoke for a few minutes about their own stories and their experiences at UNI so far.

“Not having a home was a really big fear for me, especially when it was already April, and May was the time to make our decision,” Hinchak said, who has been in the U.S. since August 2021.

“But everyone welcomes us here at UNI. I could never say that five years ago I would be studying computer science at the University of Northern Iowa right now.”

The eighth student in the group, Ulyana Karpliuk, came to the U.S. one week after the full-scale war broke out to live with her aunt and uncle.

While her hometown may not be in immediate danger at the current moment, the fear of war is still a very real possibility.

“Even though it is pretty far from the front line, there is still a possibility of a bomb dropping on your head,” she said.

Despite the circumstances, she has also been given an opportunity to study abroad, a dream she has had for a long time.

“There’s not enough words to describe how grateful I am, and for the first time in a year and a half I feel welcome here at UNI, and it really does feel like a second home,” she said.

President Mark Nook also spoke at the event after having spent some time getting to know the students and their stories.

“You’re special to us because of what you bring to this campus,” he said. “We recognize your resilience, your commitment to your education, and what you are doing here took a great deal of grit, a great deal of sacrifice to get here.”

“You have touched my life, and will continue to touch this university. Thank you for choosing this university… and welcome to the University of Northern Iowa.”

The exhibition was on display in the gallery through Oct. 1. The works will be on display in the gallery’s showcases Oct. 19 through Nov. 9 before then being displayed at Rod Library through February.

For details on financially supporting the Ukrainian students, visit foundation.uni.edu/ukrainian-students.