WAR ALTERS PATH
Ukrainian exchange student plans to attend CMU instead of going home
When Mariia Smahliuk came to Mt. Pleasant last September to finish high school, she expected to head back to Europe in June to start college in the fall. Russia’s invasion of her homeland changed that, and now she’s planning to stick around.
Last week, Smahliuk decided to attend Central Michigan University this fall and study either journalism or creative writing.
The path to getting into CMU started with a choice about what to do after she graduates from high school next month. Her host organization offered the 225 Ukrainian exchange students it sponsored for this year three options: 1. Be reuinted with family; 2. Stay in the United States for another year as an exchange student; 3. Stay in the United States but be transitioned off the exchange program.
The second wasn’t an option for her because she’s graduating. Eventually she wants to go back to Ukraine, but not while the war is hot.
“Since March, everything has changed,” she said.
“I hope in four years, we can go back to a normal life,” she said.
Ukraine’s main university center is Kharkiv, its second-biggest city, she said. Unfortunately, the Kharkiv area has also seen a lot of fighting. While it was never occupied by Russian troops, they did take some villages near it, which have recently been reclaimed during a Ukrainian counteroffensive that has pushed the Russians back — in places — to the border.
“I think we’re going to need a lot of time to recover from the war,” she said.
Smahliuk’s family lives in Ukraine’s geographical center, five hours south of its capital city of Kyiv and five hours north of Odessa, an important Black Sea port.
The city has so far been spared from fighting, but there have been so scares about Russian missile strikes. But her
family is happy to see her safe in the United States, she said, especially so as news has traveled about what the Russians have done in occupied parts of the country, including massacres of civilians in Bucha.
“It’s funny how the missiles aren’t as scary as the people,” she said.
Originally, she was also considering colleges in Austraila, Canada, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Italy.
She’s also looked at a handful of American schools, including Alma College. CMU offered her the most attractive package, with a personal touch.
Liz Busch, a Mt. Pleasant city commissioner who is hosting Smahliuk, said she asked some friends for help finding someone at CMU to talk to. In very short order, she heard from the university.
Ling Zhang, CMU’S director of graduate and international recruitment, visited Smahliuk at Mt. Pleasant High School. She brought some CMU swag and a promise to make sure that Smahliuk would get enrolled.
That involves paperwork at the university and also changing her status as a legal visitor to the United States.
Smahliuk is currently in the United States on an exchange student visa, but because of the war, the federal government has told Ukrainians in the United States before March 1 that they can stay as long as hostilities remain.
For Smahliuk, that means getting a different visa type. A student visa will let her stay and get a job, which she hopes to do next fall. Sticking in Mt. Pleasant with her family half a world away comes with an additional advantage.
“I know Mt. Pleasant already,” she said. The Busch home is likely to be her surrogate home while she’s at CMU, spending holidays and time off there. Smahliuk is also active locally in raising awareness and money for Ukrainian efforts.
She is currently in the stages of organizing Stand with Ukraine, from 6-8 p.m. next Tuesday at For Art’s Sake, 117 S. Main St., in Mt. Pleasant. Attendees will write letters to Ukrainian soldiers and a donation box will collect money for medical supplies.
One requirement they need to meet is to demonstrate some measure of financial independence to ensure she can pay her school bills and have money available in case of an emergency.
That means raising $20,000, of which they’ve brought in just a little more than half through a Gofundme campaign and direct contributions. Members First Credit Union allowed her to sign up for a checking account without a Social Security number, and is accepting contributions in her name, Busch said.