5,171 miles away, a new language and life awaited a Ukrainian family of five after a long process of various immigration meetings and inspections.
Alina Baranska, a third grader at the time, moved to the Chicagoland area from Ukraine in hopes of creating new opportunities and a better quality of life.
“I was born in Ukraine and lived there for about eight and a half years. When I was about seven, my parents started talking about how there is [a chance] for us in America, and it actually happened,” Alina, now a junior at West Chicago Community High School, said.
Luckily, Alina’s family left the country before it was painted red with the Russian and Ukrainian wars, and their relatives in Ukraine live on the opposite, safer side near Poland.
“It was really upsetting and scary knowing that I lived there seven years ago, and so many people have been dying. I was grateful for the people that were helping Ukraine,” Alina said.
The Baranska family moved in with an aunt in Illinois before eventually settling into their own home. For Alina, this was the start of a completely different trajectory of her life, which came with a whirlwind of emotions.
“We lived in this small village, so I was really excited to get out of there because there were no opportunities for me. I was nervous about the language because I didn’t speak English at all. I took a class but it didn’t help me. I was also nervous because I had a lot of friends [in Ukraine], and I would have to somehow find friends without knowing English. I would say out of my siblings, I had the most difficulty adjusting,” Alina said.
Of course, Alina had support and inspiration. The one who stood by her side through everything, and still does today, is Diana Baranska, her 21-year-old sister.
“ [My greatest influence is] my older sister because growing up, I always tried copying everything she did. And to this day, her opinion really matters to me and affects my actions. I feel like that’s going to happen throughout my life – we’re really close,” Alina said.
The feelings are mutual between the sisters, as Diana does not fail to show pride in Alina’s progress.
“When we came to the USA, she used to be really lonely because she didn’t speak English, but those times made her even stronger and more confident,” Diana said.
Due to her mom’s protectiveness, Alina’s younger brother by one year, Max, is also a junior – meaning on top of the immigration stress and adjustments, her family was misunderstood by Americans.
“My mom [wanted me to] stay one more year in kindergarten with [Max] so [we could] be in the same grade. So when I moved here, everybody was confused. Most people just assume that we’re twins,” Alina said.
Alina’s childhood in Ukraine consisted of go-with-the-flow days, where she participated in various events throughout her town.
“I would always be hanging out with my friends. So I would go eat breakfast with [them], and then at my school in Ukraine they have these school activities – like sports – but they weren’t official, just something you could go to. We all lived really close to each other, and there was a lot of freedom,” Alina said.
Although life-changing, Alina experienced a bit of a rough start moving to another country. Some teachers and students treated her as a labeled immigrant instead of a person.
“Probably the hardest time of my life would be when I moved here, which was third grade. My teacher was not understanding – I would come home from school every day crying, or in the morning I would be begging not to go to school – I hated it so much. My teacher thought I came from the jungle, [showing me] how to use a computer, when I already knew that,” Alina said.
In America, Alina learned to adjust and find friends who helped her become more comfortable.
“The first time I met Alina I was nervous. She seemed like such a cool, put-together person. She had such a positive energy that followed her, I wanted to be friends with her so badly. Her and I progressively got closer as time went on, and I learned that she is the sweetest most kind-hearted person I know,” junior Sam Jaloway said.
Her tight circle of friends, both in school and in her youth group at church, became major parts of her life.
“People perceive me as shy, but when you get to know me I often talk the most out of my friends. I try to be friendly with everybody no matter who they are. I don’t have that many friends, but I feel like that’s good because the less friends you have the more involved with them you are. I love spending one-on-one time with [them] or hanging out in groups,” Alina said.
Alina’s friends describe her as a comforting and uplifting person who never fails to make people smile.
“She always brightens the mood and lifts the energy in any room she walks into. She’s an incredibly genuine person who has consistently found ways to make mine and others’ lives better,” Jaloway said.
Through multiple transformative events, Alina takes pride in her accomplishments and personal growth.
“I feel like I’ve been through a lot of experiences that [that have] made me strong[er]. I was put into ESL classes when I first got to America, but I picked up on the language. I’m really proud that now I have honors classes – I’m happy. I think I just had to get used to everything over time,“ Alina said.
