32 D'MENSIONS MAGAZINE Viunova is sincere in her tone when talking about helping others and the importance of caring for one’s mental health — she took an interest in psychology and psychiatry while in high school and was thrilled to learn D’Youville could offer a free four-year education in the field. It’s a topic that has taken on a new level of importance in her home country, now in its fourth year of a brutal war that has affected millions of civilians. A 2024 study by the World Health Organization found that 68 percent of Ukrainians reported a decline in their mental health compared to the pre-war period. The most prevalent health issues in the country right now are mental health concerns, which make up roughly half of the country’s clinical visits. Other studies have shown that nearly 15 percent of Ukrainian adults have reported probable PTSD, and more than 44 percent have shown signs of depression. While those numbers are way up, hospitals and mental health clinics have suffered systemic challenges, as the war has damaged hospitals and psychiatric centers. More than 21 percent of the country’s medical workers were displaced at some point between 2022-2024. While Viunova doesn’t know what awaits beyond earning her degree this spring, she says wherever she starts her career — whether in Ukraine or elsewhere — she wants to provide access to mental health services to those who may otherwise not have it, and she wants to help remove the stigma of seeking counseling or mental health therapy. “I recently attained my certification as a substance abuse counselor-in-training, and at my latest internship, I worked with marginalized populations and people who were unhoused or suffered from drug addiction,” she says. “For me, it’s really important to be there for those people and to be a person who helps bring communities together instead of being someone who further divides them. I want to create bridges between people and help those who need it find care.” Vinuova says she’ll cherish her time in Buffalo. She found out about D’Youville’s Ukrainian program while in high school, and when she arrived, breaking the language barrier was the most difficult transition for her. She says the biggest difference between Western New York and her hometown is the diversity (“the amount of different people and different cultures and ethnicities is wonderful,” she says) and the transportation. Cities in Ukraine are more walkable or accessible through public transportation, she says. “Here, you need a car to get anywhere,” she says. Her favorite American sport has been basketball, and her favorite American food, she says, is banana pudding. She enjoyed the snow in Buffalo at first, but she calls her relationship with it a “love-hate” one over the past few years. Her transition to life here was made easier, because she got to experience a lot of these new things with other students from Ukraine. Eventually, she felt embraced by the D’Youville community as a whole. “I definitely love the community here, and I definitely connected with really nice people from various fields,” she says. “I got to know a lot of different professors and knowledgeable people — trailblazing research authors and respected doctors. There are just wonderful people in Buffalo overall, and the city’s been great for exploration. I’ve taken in a lot of nature, especially Niagara Falls and some of the state parks. It’s been a great experience.” Yaroslav Malynych spent last summer as an intern for Properus LLC in Akron, Ohio, where he was able to explore the role of a chemical engineer, contributing to large-scale projects and learning the communication process between customers and the technical teams.
