Approximately 780 Janesville students graduated from high school this year with words of encouragement as they began a new journey.
One of those students, Anastasia Hryb, needs no instructions on journeys. She has been on a journey most of her classmates will never be on and will continue that journey after graduating from Joseph A. Craig High School.
Hryb grew up in Berdiansk, Ukraine. When Russia invaded Ukraine, the city was heavily damaged.
“There was no electricity, and there was a lack of food and water,” she said. “It was very difficult to carry on. Those of us who were able left the city.”
Hryb fled to Poland. Her mother, whom she lived with, could not leave at that time. Her mother and father were divorced. He was also unable to leave Ukraine.
Anastasia’s trip to Poland took 12 hours. She was able to travel with some of her father’s friends.
Anastasia then traveled to Germany. After a stay there, she went back to Ukraine to join her mother in Kyiv. They both then traveled to Janesville, and her mother later moved to Columbus, Ohio.
Her aunt had been in the United States for 20 years and was living in Janesville. Anastasia lived with her aunt after her mother moved to Ohio.
Anastasia arrived in Janesville on Sept. 1, 2022, and became a junior student at Craig.
“It was a day I will never forget,” she said. “In a sense, my journey to safety had ended, but another journey was beginning. I finished Ukraine high school online while taking classes in person at Craig.”
During her education in Ukraine, Anastasia became fluent in three languages, Russian, Ukrainian and English. Since arriving in Janesville, her English improved to the point where she could be mistaken for a Wisconsin native.
During this Fourth of July holiday, she plans to join her mother in Ohio before becoming a freshman student at The Ohio State University.
“I learned right away to be sure to say The Ohio State University,” she said. “I’m looking forward to getting moved into my dorm room and beginning classes.”
She plans to enter the pre-law curriculum and go on to major in international relations.
Anastasia said her interest in international relations was increased after she was chosen as in intern in the Tim Cullen Government Institute.
“I was pleased to be chosen as an intern’” she said. “I met many interesting people and it fit right in with what I am preparing to study in college.”
While in a relatively safe environment compared to the war in Ukraine, Anastasia has lingering fears and doubts about how her life will be affected by what she has been through.
“First of all, I worry about my father who is now in Kyiv,” she said. “Men are not allowed to leave Ukraine because they are needed to fight the war. My father’s brother, my uncle, was killed in the war.
“I am also concerned about my relatives and friends still there,” she said. “There are many problems in the Ukraine government. Relief measures such as food, money and other supplies are being hoarded by government officials and are not going to the people in need.”
Anastasia has been left with a continuing fear for her safety and the safety of others.
“I still have the feeling that we are never safe,” she said. “You just never know what will happen in the future.”
Anastasia hopes to be able to return to Ukraine after graduating from college.
“It is my hope that someday I can return to my hometown and live there in peace. Until then, I will remember how welcoming, warm and comforting everyone here in Janesville has been. I will always be thankful for their kindness and understanding.”
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