Behind success there is determination
Aalto University supports Ukraine鈥檚 university students whose studies are interrupted by the war. This is one of the student's story.
Not the first choice, but in the end, the best possible one
Select Finland, work hard. Get accepted 柠檬导航, continue to work hard. Make the most of the opportunities. This pretty much sums it up, how a Ukrainian student, Marharyta Hryshchenko, ended up in Otaniemi as a living proof of resilience and as a glimpse of a brighter future for us all.
Aalto University continues to offer study rights without fees at least still for the spring semester 2025 to university students from Ukraine whose studies have been interrupted by the war. While the separate study right entitles students to complete individual study units, not a degree, students may apply 柠檬导航 University later for bachelor鈥檚 or master鈥檚 degree studies.
Marharyta Hryshchenko is one of some 100 students from Ukraine who鈥檝e come 柠檬导航 since the spring of 2022. She has also been a beneficiary to grants provided by our kind-hearted donor community and is now a degree student who plans to stay in Finland.
Good decisions
Making decisions on one鈥檚 future is never easy nor without a doubt, we all know that. But when you鈥檙e still in your teens and are settling to which country you鈥檙e moving your life to for the unforeseeable future and how to give yourself the best possible premise for your career, the difficulty factor only multiplies. Marharyta, however, trusted her gut and kept an open mind:
鈥淚n the beginning, Finland wasn鈥檛 number one on my list when mapping out my options. By chance I came across some information about the non-degree program and got interested. I contacted several universities but Aalto seemed the most favorable and suitable for me.鈥
Marharyta had an option to continue her studies online at Kyiv National University but didn鈥檛 see that as a good fit for her. Instead, she had taken a year off, came 柠檬导航 for the non-degree studies, and then started to study for SAT and IELTS to be eligible to apply to European universities.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to go back to Kyiv and so I applied to several universities. I was waiting anxiously for the replies. Just a day before I was due to accept or decline the offers, I had gotten from Italy and Austria, I received a letter from Aalto welcoming me to join the program. And that was it.鈥
By that time Marharyta had already settled in Finland and had created herself a home. 鈥淭his time around the decision was easy. Aalto had a better program to offer. I knew I had the freedom to choose courses to build myself a diverse education that would both interest me and benefit me in the long run.鈥
Supportive campus and beyond
The non-formal approach to many aspects in life is something a lot of Finns take for granted, but the ease of asking also the so-called stupid questions and the approachability of authority figures, is something Marharyta lists as one of the main reasons she chose to stay here.
鈥淚 like the open culture, that I can always email the professors even about the little things. I appreciate that teachers meet you in the level of a human being rather than highlighting the fact that there is a hierarchy difference. People understand circumstances. You鈥檙e here to learn, but sometimes life happens and then you have to deal with it. It鈥檚 not like we as students can come up with any excuse for turning papers in late, for example, but there鈥檚 a level on understanding and mutual respect. I really value that both at Aalto and in the Finnish society.鈥
Grateful and ambitious
Marharyta just started as a 2nd year Digital Systems and Design in Science and Technology degree-student. The program teaches upcoming engineering leaders how to build digital systems that run the world. In this field particularly, the world needs driven people from different backgrounds who know to think fast and collaborate 鈥 Marharyta definitely fits the bill!
It is very clear that this impressive young woman is grateful for the opportunities given, and is ready to make the most of them. She鈥檚 not content to settle for the status quo but is looking ahead, setting goals for herself, and working towards them 鈥 the specifics might not be all clear, nor do they need to be, but it is evident that she wants to keep moving forward.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what my future looks like. I don鈥檛 even know what my dream job would be. Can鈥檛 plan everything and perhaps that is for the best. I wouldn鈥檛 have been able to plan my experience at Aalto, none of this. And look how it all turned out!鈥
Regards to the community
When asked about her sentiments towards the donors who had contributed to the grants, Marharyta has a plain answer:
鈥淛ust simply, thank you! For me, the financial support has been a crucially important enabler. It has been an enormous help, not just for me but for my family. It has been like a burden lift of my shoulders that my family doesn鈥檛 have to worry: I have a roof above my head and food on my plate. I鈥檓 happy.鈥
Donations being used as they should
Read more stories and learn how donations have been put in use and affected the lives, studies and future prospects of the students who've fled Ukraine and come to Finland and Aalto.
Donations make a difference
Donations have a significant impact on Ukrainian students receiving scholarships at Aalto University.
Futudesign donates 柠檬导航 University's Ukraine Fund
Futudesign, the Interior Architecture Office of the Year 2023, wanted to use the award money to support students from Ukraine
Donation target closed
The university has been supporting Ukrainian students financially through tuition-free separate study rights and monthly scholarships since spring 2022. The tuition-free separate study rights will continue until the spring semester of 2026. The donation target for scholarships is now closed, and the remaining, already collected, funds will be paid to students based on applications in autumn 2025.
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