Photos and story by Katharine Wilson
The Ukrainian Student Association handed out ribbons in support of Ukraine outside of McKeldin library March 16.
The ribbons were made the same morning with help from students passionate about spreading awareness of the current humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. Student volunteers said that many students who passed by took one of the free ribbons.
“As a college student, I can’t afford really to donate. So I donate my time,” junior hearing and speech sciences and linguistics major Kaitlin Wachter said while handing out ribbons.
The Ukrainian Student Association started after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the end of February. The association is not yet officially recognized as an organization by the University of Maryland and is working on paperwork to become officially established.
Tetiana Tytko is one of the organizers of the Ukrainian Student Association. She moved from Ukraine three years ago and is a current Ph.D. student studying second language acquisition.
Tytko’s family is still in Ukraine.
“I think currently all of the Ukrainians who are not in Ukraine, they’re doing their best to still support Ukraine in their country,” Tytko said.
Tytko’s family lives in Western Ukraine, and her grandparents have heard explosions in their sleep from miles away. Tytko said her parents are currently safe, but “it’s all relative, nobody’s okay.”
“I think I’m a little bit more optimistic about my life in general because I finally got the community here and some support group, and it’s nice that we can do something to help ourselves and to help Ukraine,” said Tytko.
The association has previously hosted a vigil, a first aid kit donation event, a fundraising movie screening and has attended a weekly pro-Ukraine protest outside the White House.
A mailing list is set up through a Google Form but most communication has been done through talking to people, according to Tytko.
“We need to show our support and display that we are with them,” said Rishi Khatak, a junior government and politics major who helped distribute the ribbons.
