Describing the impact of the war, she says: “It was tremendously devastating both physically and mentally since the mere thought of abandoning our comfortable, secure life for the foreseeable future was unbearably horrifying. Given the grim and unfavourable projections and predictions, particularly from foreign analysts, none of us could have sought any kind of certainty."

Valerie’s family continued to move around in an effort to find a safe place to stay. She didn’t know if she would be able to find her way back to university to complete her degree as everything was so uncertain. She did, however, make it back to Belfast to pick up her studies.

Valerie has always been ambitious for her career: “I always tried to stay on top of my academics, complete my work meticulously and maintain a positive work ethic comparable to that of my university peers. Before the war broke out in my country, I had quite an ambitious goal to secure a position at the company where I hoped to undertake my placement in the third year, in addition to improving my overall qualification.”

However, Valerie underestimated the impact of the war on her wellbeing and began to experience PTSD on top of an existing anxiety. She said: I naively assumed that after returning to a peaceful, safe, and familiar environment, my mental and physical well-being would bounce back like the slinky, but humans proved to be somewhat more complex beings.

It was only when her Professor took her aside for a chat that Valerie realised the extent of her situation and became aware of the support that was there for her: “When Ms. Stephanie Graham, who later became my professor for the Supply Chain Management module, openly sympathised with my situation, acknowledged the effort I had put in to participate in class and maintain my marks and offered assistance with possibly adjusting course work deadlines, I was taken aback because such thoughtful gestures from a stranger in Northern Ireland were not what I had anticipated. This was the first time I personally discovered that people abroad could genuinely care and want to help.”

This support encouraged Valerie to study harder and perform better despite her deteriorated mental health.

Valerie attributes the support of many of her friends for getting her through the darkest months of her life: “They went to great lengths to be as empathetic and kind as possible without stepping too far to the extent of being intrusive when I attempted to recuperate after reaching my lowest point because of reoccurring panic and anxiety attacks.”

She says she is grateful for her experience at Queen’s allowed her to test her limits and learn a lot about herself: “I had to confront many of the manifested fears of young people in a relatively short time, including social isolation, financial instability, the imminent threat of unemployment, the 'silent treatment', and a lack of compassion, as well as find my own solutions to each of these issues.” Valerie is looking towards the future and hopes to pursue a Master’s next: “Being an ambitious individual, the war in Ukraine did not drive me to give up on any of my dreams; on the contrary, it made me stronger in my resolve to go after them.

“I hope that moving forward I will be able to set at least some short-term objectives and stop worrying about the safety of my family and the future of my nation. I still have a life of my own and no one will ever be able to live it for me.”

Media

For media inquiries, contact comms.office@qub.ac.uk