ERIEVILLE — On June 20, Alina Hlazkova, a 17-year-old student from Kherson, Ukraine, arrived at Syracuse Hancock International Airport to spend the week in Erieville with her second cousin Karen Storne and Storne’s husband, Peter Radosta.
Located in southern Ukraine, Kherson is an important shipbuilding city strategically situated on the Dnieper River that flows into the Black Sea.
In early March 2022, Kherson became the first major Ukrainian city to fall to Russian forces since the Feb. 24 invasion.
Hlazkova’s mother and 10-year-old brother were able to escape to Germany; her father remains in Ukraine fighting the war.
Hlazkova, who is fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, German, and English, is a student of the Future Leaders Exchange, a United States Department of State program that provides scholarships for high school students from Europe and Eurasia to spend an academic year in the US, living with a family and attending an American high school. She recently completed her junior year in Antimony, Utah, and hopes to attend college in the US.
Hlazkova will spend her senior year in West Newbury, Massachusetts, where she will live with Storne’s sister and brother-in-law.
“When war broke out in Ukraine, Alina’s mother and [my] family discussed the situation and it was decided that Alina would remain in the US for another year,” said Storne.
According to Storne, her grandfather was in contact with his Ukrainian relatives during the Cold War but then lost touch. When her aunt died in 2013, the relatives in Ukraine saw the obituary and reached out to Storne’s sister and niece; the two families have been in communication ever since.
During her time in Erieville, Hlazkova was introduced to several of Storne and Radosta’s friends who are aware of the hardships facing the Ukrainian people and are supportive. One of the individuals she planned to meet was Nancy Ries, a professor of anthropology at Colgate University who specializes in symbolic anthropology, social theory, Russian culture and society, and peace and conflict studies.
“Nancy is a friend who is fluent in Russian and wants to talk with Alina about Ukraine,” said Storne leading up to the meeting. “Nancy lives in Hamilton and has spent time in Russia as part of her international studies.”
A few days into her stay, Hlazkova, who celebrated her birthday on June 22, said she was very excited to meet her family in Erieville and Massachusetts.
“I am so grateful to them for aiding my family in this difficult time,” she said. “I look forward to my senior year in the US and I am very hopeful for the future of Ukraine.”
