Humans of GOTAFE - Maryna Sliusar
English Language student Maryna shared her journey to finding safety and how education is shaping her future.
GOTAFE student Maryna Sliusar moved to Australia from Ukraine in May 2022 with her son after the Russia-Ukraine war broke out.
Speaking at GOTAFE’s Refugee Week student event on June 20, Maryna shared her journey to finding safety and how education is shaping her future.
“This full-scale Russian invasion has divided our lives into “before” and “after”, Maryna said.
“My son and I are trying to rebuild our lives from scratch.
“In Ukraine, we practically lost everything except faith in ourselves and our strength.”
Maryna is currently studying Certificate II in EAL (Access) (22485VIC) at GOTAFE, which will support her in developing her English language skills.
“I study English at GOTAFE to enhance my skill set in Occupational Heath & Safety and be useful to this country,” Maryna said.
At the Refugee Week event, Maryna spoke about how she came to arrive in Australia as a refugee, recounting her first experience in a bomb shelter.
“I gathered documents, money, medicine and everything necessary in case we needed to evacuate quickly,” Maryna said.
“When we arrived at the bomb shelter, there was no light or heat.”
More than 15 families came to the bomb shelter that night – and on the second day, there were even more people.
“There were constant alarms, planes dropping bombs. Once the alarm started, we had about 5-8 minutes to run the bomb shelter.
A few weeks into the war, Maryna began her journey to Australia on March 5, 2022.
“My son and I left for western Ukraine with only one backpack of things each,” she said.
"We hoped that the war would end quickly, and we would return to normal everyday life. Everything was like being in a fog for us: we did not understand what would happen next. There were many questions to which I could not find answers, but I knew one thing - I had to take my son to a safe place."
Maryna says she has always valued education and has been supported by GOTAFE in more ways than one.
“I like to learn, especially since my profession involves constant self-development and improvement,” she said.
“I needed understanding, acceptance, and psychological relief.
“My teachers Chrishanthi and Minky helped me with this.
“I am very grateful to them and to all GOTAFE employees.”
Refugee Week provides an opportunity for community to build empathy for and understanding of refugees and educate others about why they have come to Australia. It is also a great opportunity to celebrate the contributions of our refugee community members and focus on how we can work together to provide a safe and welcoming environment.
For more information about Refugee Week, click here.
If you or someone you know are a refugee seeking asylum living in Victoria, find support by visiting the Refugee Council website.