The spring semester welcomed both old and new Charger faces, including Kateryna Fedirko, an international business major and transfer student, who traveled 4,772 miles to the University of New Haven from Odessa, Ukraine. Fedirko’s arrival marks another student’s journey to academic and professional success at the University of New Haven.
According to a published letter from Chancellor Steven Kaplan to the student body, Fedirko came to the university through a collaboration with EducationUSA Ukraine. This organization helps students from Ukraine continue their education. When she first came to the United States, Fedirko was greeted by Kaplan and Associate Professor of the Division of Humanities Bradley Woodworth.
In his letter, Kaplan said that, “Kateryna is the first of what we hope will be several students who will join us from Ukraine.”
Fedirko opened up about her major and what courses she is taking. She said “I like many things in business; specifically marketing [and] human resources.” She chose this major because she did “not [want to] pick something specific, but to study everything at once.”
The classes that Fedirko is taking are ones that she claims to enjoy. “My favorite class is the Business and Entrepreneurship class with [Hospitality and Tourism Professor Jan Jones]. I think I like it because it’s entertaining; it’s creative. We always do some teamwork together,” she said. “It is fun to do something as a team and not just listen to a professor for an hour.”
Fedirko went on and said that she likes the class setups “because you have all these different classmates in every class. And everything changes; you meet new people, and you have many connections after that.”
Beyond enjoying her courses so far, Fedirko said she appreciates the “diverse community” at the university that she is now part of. She also said that everyone she has met is “very friendly” and “helpful.” Fedirko expressed happiness when speaking about meeting new people,—both American students and other international students.
Fediriko, like many other students at the university, is looking forward to getting involved with clubs and Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs). She said she is interested in joining the Women in Business club, which enables its members to grow professionally and share their experiences. “This club suits me perfectly,” Fedirko said.
Fedirko’s educational journey at the university has only just begun, but she stands optimistic in the face of the opportunities ahead of her.