The Escape
At the age of 17, Yevheniia began to study software engineering at the National University in Kyiv. From the start, she was a very promising and engaged student, and she absolutely enjoyed student life. Everything went according to plan: attend university, graduate, start a family, buy a small house. Life was good. Just a year later, when the conflict started, everything shattered into pieces. Suddenly, there was no future.
The university had to stop classes, unpredictable blackouts plagued the country, and the dreaded air raid alarms blasted day and night. Soon, Yevheniia’s parents made the incredibly difficult choice to send their two daughters abroad while staying behind to care for their own elderly folks. Their path led them through Hungary, where, after a tough night in a crowded school gym, they managed to get on a refugee bus and finally reached Vienna. With just a small bag of personal belongings and a strong language barrier, Yevheniia was starting a new life.
New Start
The beginning was stressful and difficult. Luckily, she received amazing support in Austria, from shared accommodation to language classes. In the meantime, the university in Kyiv restarted classes and allowed for online attendance. Despite the ever-present air raid alarms causing students living in Ukraine to move into shelters, the courses worked just like everywhere else. To build new friendships, Yevheniia started playing table tennis, rock climbing in a group, and attending software engineering meetups. Everything was starting to look normal. However, to really stand on her own two feet, she needed a job. After she saw our ad on social media, she applied and delivered exceptional results in the CCC. And the rest is history.
Today, Yevheniia, besides her studies, works as a software engineer on the u:space project. She loves her teammates, who are very open, supportive, approachable, and always welcome new ideas. From time to time, she encounters funny cultural differences like unexpectedly frequent office small talk (What is she supposed to say all the time?) and strange types of humor. Despite the difficult situation in Ukraine and the daily struggles a refugee must face, Yevheniia remains positive, and it is hard to find her without a smile on her face. You are a real inspiration, Zhenia, and we are honored to have you as a teammate!
