On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia sprung its first attack on Ukraine’s capital city, Kyiv. In the first two years of the Russia-Ukraine war, nearly 3.7 million people were displaced within Ukraine, and 6.3 million remain abroad. 

Among those millions are juniors Yaroslav and Mariia Bohdan, Mounds View students who left their home in Kyiv just days before Russia’s first attack on Kyiv. “We left before the war started […] because of my parents’ business. We needed to leave for Poland for a little bit. They were vets, they had their own clinic [in Ukraine],” said Mariia Bohdan. They left with just bare essentials for a simple work trip, unaware of the events to come. “I left with only my backpack, so there was nothing. Couple pieces of clothing, and that’s it.” 

After staying in Poland for two weeks, the family traveled to the Czech Republic from March to June, then flew to Minnesota. They enrolled in Mounds View soon after the 2022-2023 school year started. “It was a bit complicated, because when you don’t know English, it’s really hard to be in new classes and meet new people, but it wasn’t bad,” said Mariia Bohden. 

Both Mariia and Yaroslav say one of the benefits of Mounds View is the people. In Ukraine, both Bohdans participated in sports, and they decided to join sports teams at Mounds View as well. “I was swimming in Ukraine, and for track and field, I just saw the community. I decided people were going to be nice, and I just wanted to make friends,” said Mariia Bohden. During her freshman year, Mariia swam with the Mounds View girls swim team and sprinted on the track team, choosing to continue with track throughout her sophomore and now junior year.

Yaroslav Bohden brought his interest in weightlifting to Mounds View, partaking in the weight training program. In Ukraine, their school didn’t have a weight lifting program, but Mounds View has several, which he was happy about. 

However, sports are not the only difference between Mounds View and their previous school. In Ukraine,the Bohden’s school  ranged from 30-40 students in each grade, and all of the students stayed together from first to 12th grade. In contrast, Mounds View has around 500 students per grade and different classes every year. 

While the two students adjusted to life here, the war still continues in Eastern Europe. European countries like Poland, the Czech Republic, the U.K., Spain and many others have taken in hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees, many of which have a story like Mariia and Yaroslav. For those who were not able to leave, life continues to be dangerous, and their friends and family worry about their safety. “Every time I hear something from my friends it just makes me feel really sad, and it just makes me feel really anxious, because you never know what will happen with people that you love back there,” Mariia said. With a life created here, Mariia and Yaroslav Bohden are unsure if they will return to Ukraine.