Submitted photo Viktoryia Paliakovich, a native of the Republic of Belarus in Eastern Europe, will graduate in May from Youngstown State University with a master’s degree in English language and literature. She earned a master’s degree in American studies from YSU in 2023.

YOUNGSTOWN — Coming to the United States to study or work is a dream for many young people in the former Soviet Union.

When the opportunity becomes a reality, these young men and women begin a journey navigating life in the United States, and each has a unique story to tell. Viktoryia Paliakovich is one of those people.

She is from the town of Babruysk in the Republic of Belarus in Eastern Europe. Russia lies to the east and Poland to the west. Once a part of Soviet Russia, Belarus gained independence after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Paliakovich’s introduction to the United States came as part of a program called Children of Chernobyl. Following the 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in northern Ukraine, radiation devastated a large area of southern Belarus, and the effects can still be seen and felt today. The immediate area where the radiation contamination was the most volatile — in Belarus — is like a war zone.

The Children of Chernobyl program, which dissolved in 2023, gave Belarusian children an opportunity to live with a host family in the United States over the summer to escape the toxic environment. For four years, Paliakovich, now 30, spent her summers with a family near Columbus, with whom she kept in touch.

Over time, she developed more interest in English, so she started learning more about English-speaking countries.

“America stood out because I was more familiar with it. When I got older, I looked for opportunities where I could speak English daily because I love the language. So, I’d say my passion for English was the primary motivator to come to the U.S.,” Paliakovich said.

She earned a degree in modern foreign languages at the Belarusian State University of Foreign Languages in 2018 and worked for two years teaching English. During that time, she also completed a degree in professional journalism and taught English remotely at an online Russian language school.

When looking for opportunities to continue her education in the U.S., she found that deadlines for admission at many universities had already passed, except for one — Youngstown State University.

It was the only college she applied to and after writing a statement of purpose and taking a proficiency test in English, she was admitted as an international student. She arrived in Youngstown in July of 2021 and graduated with a master’s degree in American studies in May 2023.

To gain more experience in the English language and to remain in the country longer, she applied for another master’s degree, this time in English language and literature in 2024. She will graduate in May.

While at YSU, Paliakovich was awarded a graduate assistantship working for Dr. Brian Bonhomme, a professor of humanities and social sciences, researching Soviet fallout shelters. Her current job is assisting the curator at the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor, also known as the Steel Museum, on the preservation of documents in their archives in cooperation with the YSU history department.

Paliakovich would like to remain in the United States working, but “the immigration system in the U.S. is very complicated,” she said. “It is hard to obtain work visas for students who graduate from an American university because you have to go through a long process.”

She said you must be sponsored by your employer (including financially) and are then entered into a work visa lottery, where people are randomly chosen.

Also, YSU’s international students are limited to working on campus and can only work a certain number of hours.

“I don’t have a car, which limits me. I can’t go wherever I want and must rely on friends for help. Living in a foreign country has its ups and downs, and you just have to adjust to your circumstances,” she said.

Paliakovich said she is open to employment by any university that would take her on and realizes that she can’t be picky.

“It has always been my dream to live and work here. I enjoy teaching English and history,” she said.

What does she like the most about America?

“The diversity of thought,” she said. “There are so many different opinions; there is freedom of expression. In Belarus, you are expected to be reserved. Here, you can be yourself.”

What surprises her most about Americans is “small talk. The way Americans converse.” In Belarus, when someone asks, “How are you?” it is taken seriously and a conversation begins about a good or bad circumstance in someone’s life. In the United States, talking with someone about the weather or giving a compliment in the elevator “is a way to be nice and then be on your way. We don’t do that in Belarus. In Belarus, when someone asks ‘”How are you?’ they mean it.”

Belarus is one of Europe’s poorest nations by income levels, which she said differs from city to city and family to family.

“Every country has its flaws. Some things are better in Belarus, some in the U.S.,” she said.

She said she wants to return to Belarus to visit, but not to live.

“I don’t see myself living in Belarus anymore. I am Americanized. I’ve changed too much to comply with the Belarusian lifestyle,” Paliakovich said.

However, she said she misses her family and friends since she hasn’t seen them in five years.

“I don’t have the luxury to travel back and forth because it’s expensive and there are certain travel difficulties,” she said.

She said she is “living one day at a time. I have no expectations. For now, I see my personal and career growth in the states, but I’m still figuring that out. Time will tell.” While she pursues ways of remaining in America, she shares a saying that is common in Belarus.

“If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans,” Paliakovich said.