Age: 17
From: Kharkiv
Current place of residence: Kharkiv

Started attending Svitlo School: January 2025

Responsibilities:

• Prefect of the “Art, Music, and Literature” Class: I serve as a prefect for this class alongside David Beck. I assist in preparing presentations, track house points and attendance, and support students to ensure they feel confident and comfortable while creating and presenting their work.
• Participant in the GSL Project: I take part in a project focused on gender inequality and well-being, where we analyze social challenges and explore ways to address them.
• Junior Group Administrator: I assist with maintaining registers, handling organizational matters, and supporting the overall coordination of the junior group.
• Reading Buddy: I spend time reading with younger students, helping them build confidence and develop a positive attitude toward learning.
• Buddy for Younger Students: I support younger students in their daily school life, helping them feel comfortable and included.
• Co-author of the “Personal Strength and Virtues” Channel: I help manage the channel by creating weekly well-being posts, which are published every Wednesday.

Future Plans:

My plans begin with entering university — I sincerely hope to secure a place and continue my education. I aspire to achieve a great deal in life. My dream is to become a lawyer and help people who are going through difficult times, contributing to a more just world where everyone has the right to live, sleep, and simply exist in safety.

As for Svitlo, I plan to continue supporting this wonderful community and contributing as much as I can. This place is important to me, and I want to remain actively involved.

I also hope to travel extensively in the future — exploring the world is something I truly love and has always been one of my greatest passions.

One sentence that describes Yana:

“We cannot help everyone, but everyone can help someone.” — Ronald Reagan

What Svitlo School means to Yana:

Svitlo means a great deal to me. I have never had a place where I could freely express my thoughts and truly grow. I deeply value education, and I feel that Svitlo has made me more educated, confident, and articulate — especially in understanding and speaking English, as well as learning other languages. It has had one of the most significant impacts on my life.

I have not changed many schools, but even the one I attended for most of my life never influenced me as deeply as Svitlo. This school is different. Here, you can be honest, share your thoughts, and no one will judge you. This sense of safety and trust is something I didn’t even realize I needed, but now I cannot imagine my life without it.

Svitlo has also given me many new friends. I never feel alone here — I always feel heard, supported, and understood. Being surrounded by kind and inspiring people makes this place truly special, and I am grateful to be part of it.

Scholarships from Svitlo:

• Duolingo English Test, Verbivore
• IH Oxford Summer Camp

Yana on social media

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