UKRAINIAN
WAR REFUGEES
ENROLL
A sister and brother from Ukraine who came to Brevard County under the U . S . government ’ s Uniting for Ukraine program enrolled at EFSC to study computer science .
• Anastasia Shkirpan , 18 , and Yelysei Shkirpan , 16 , along with their mother Julia Shkirpan , came to the United States in January 2023
• They visited Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Indialantic seeking assistance and met a volunteer who contacted the college
• Under the government program , the Shkirpan ’ s two-year visas expire in January 2025 , so staff worked quickly to get the siblings enrolled in a computer class for the shorter Minimester Spring Term that started in March
• Both Anastasia and Yelysei also have gotten jobs at a McDonald ’ s , which in addition to their EFSC classes has helped them practice English and improve their communication skills
• “ We have made some friends and we enjoy our class . We only have about seven people in our class , which is good because we can get the help we need and the professor can focus on us individually as needed ,” said Anastasia .
• The Shkirpans stay in touch with friends who are still in war-ravaged Ukraine and others who have moved to Canada or Europe . When they graduate , they plan to open their own IT company
• “ We are very thankful for everyone that has helped us and grateful the college gave us the opportunity to get an education here ,” said Anastasia . “ It has really helped us and our mom so that she is not worried about our future .”
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