FSU student from Ukraine remains hopeful for family, country

Though the devastating attack on Ukrainian soil seems like a world away, it’s hitting a lot closer to home for one Tallahassee resident.

Anastasiia Vlasenko became emotional at the thought of not having a home to go back to. The 31-year-old’s future hangs in the balance along with that of her husband, Illia, a web designer, and their 5-month-old son as the clock winds down on her and her husband’s visas.

Anastasiia Vlasenko stands in front of others gathered at the Florida Capitol to rally for the Ukraine following the attack from Russia, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022.

Vlasenko and her husband came to the United States in 2014 as a Fulbright scholar to attend New York University. In 2016, she was admitted to Florida State University’s graduate program and is now obtaining her doctorate in political science.

Her expectation to return to Ukraine in August with a degree in hand and a job ready to start were altered in a matter of hours after the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, ordered a military invasion of Ukraine last week.

More coverage from USA TODAY:


Posted

in

by

Tags:

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *