As thousands of students prepare to begin their university journey, LWC Sixth Form alumna, Sofia Kulynych reflects on carving her own path through conflict….

Sofia Kulynych has a room-illuminating smile.

Her accent and vocabulary give little away about the circumstances in which she arrived at LWC in September 2022. In fact, having earned three A*’s and an A in her recent A-levels, it’s difficult to believe that just over two and a half years ago, she was fleeing her home in Ukraine after fighting broke out.

Together with her mum and 18-month-old brother, Sofia made the journey from Dnipro in central Ukraine, via Poland. “In Dnipro, there wasn’t any fighting, but it was breaking out in all of the regions surrounding us. We had to leave all of our family behind. It was mainly my stepdad who insisted on us leaving. He was working in IT but decided that he needed to go and fight. He didn’t want to be worrying about us and said he wanted us to leave and be safe.”

So, in May 2022, Sofia found herself living with a host family in the North Hampshire countryside. “I was really nervous because my English wasn’t very good,” she explains. “I was a bit scared about meeting new people and making friends.”

“Coming to England and LWC changed my life. It now feels like two different lives; me here and me in Ukraine”

—Sofia Kulynych

Things began to change when she joined LWC, taking up a place fully funded by the College. “I made really good friends and everyone was so supportive,” she beams. But the language barrier was difficult at first; “I was ok with day-to-day English because we moved to the UK in May and I started at LWC in September. But when I went to lessons, like psychology and economics, I just had no idea what was going on and what people were saying. The terminology and vocabulary were very different.”

Sofia found there was no shortage of help though. “My host family really helped me with essays. I was also lucky because my tutor and Houseparent were English teachers. I can remember my psychology teacher, Mr Yates even trying to translate some of the psychology information for me, to try and make it easier to understand. Over time, I didn’t need the dictionaries or Google Translate anymore!”

Coming to the UK was a big culture shock for Sofia, who had only turned 16 at the time of the move. “One of my favourite books is Harry Potter and when I used to describe England to my family and friends in Ukraine, it was sometimes easier to refer to that book! My host family and LWC were incredibly welcoming though. I’d love to stay in the UK after my University course.”

Sofia’s focus right now is embarking upon a degree in politics with economics at the University of Bath. “I loved A-level economics”, she reflects “and Bath is a good University in an amazing city.” Economics wasn’t the only thing she learned to love at LWC; “I did DW Canoeing and made loads of friends doing that. It was a real mix of people, not only those from my boarding house and classes. I’d never even been in a canoe before!”

Sofia and her family moved into their own home earlier this year and she has been able to visit her relatives who remain in Ukraine over the summer. “People keep living; they go to the cinema, they go to cafes, but you’re constantly thinking about air sirens and bomb attacks.” She’s under no illusion that things would have been very different, had she stayed in her home country once conflict broke out. “Coming to England and LWC changed my life”, she reflects. “It now feels like two different lives; me here and me in Ukraine. I’m so glad I made the move, even though I miss my family and wish I could see them more often.”

Sofia is just one member of the LWC Sixth Form alumni embarking upon university life across the UK. Some of her friends will be based further away than others; “A few are going to university in Wales – to Cardiff and Swansea. I have friends going to Bournemouth and Southampton. Then there are some who are going up to Durham…so quite a long way.”

And when it comes to the things that Sofia is most looking forward to about Bath? She beams broadly again…”Well, I really enjoy economics, I want to try and learn Spanish”…And what of the canoeing? “I’ve already checked”, she says. “And there is a Canoeing Society at Bath”.

You can read more about our record-breaking Sixth Form here and details of our open events for prospective parents can be discovered here