The Yuliya Pais Story

The+Yuliya+Pais+Story

Richard Benson, Staff Writer

Early Beginnings:

Yuliya Pais, also known as Julia Pais, was a woman who grew up in Ukraine. She was born in the first city Gymnasia which was found in Ukraine. When she was young, she got an education at an advanced public school that taught k-11 and learned all the standard courses through her education. As Yuliya grew up, she realized that she had a love for teaching and school. She also knew that she wanted to teach English and German as a teacher. So when she grew up and finished high school, she trained to teach English and German to students growing up in Ukraine. When she finished schooling to become a teacher, she got a Master of arts degree in language and became a certified teacher of the English and German languages.

Becoming a Teacher and life after school

After becoming a certified teacher, she got a job at the school she attended as a kid and taught elementary through 7th-grade students. She also became a vice principal of a public school considered one of the top 100 schools in Ukraine. After a few years of teaching, she felt like school was her second home, for she loved to teach the youth. And she learned that she had two passions in life, one being the knowledge of the English language and culture and the other teaching children and future generations of the world. She also had a family with loving parents and a husband who worked as a translator, and she even had a son named Matthew, who was gifted in both playing the saxophone and gymnastics. Yuliya loved her family and job; she went too far lengths to teach, for she taught after-school programs and additional English classes to all ages. But unfortunately, this joy and prosperity that came to her and her family did not last.

The Invasion of Ukraine:

When Ukraine was invaded, there was massive panic. Schools were shut down, and people left Ukraine and fled to Poland, Germany, and Europe. The war in Ukraine officially started on February 24th, 2022, and it was on this date that Yuliya and her family’s life changed forever. Yuliya and her family left their apartment and the city to live with Yuliya’s parents, who lived far away from the city, and chaos ensued. During this time away from the town Yuliya and her family stayed on social media and watched the news to see how the war in Ukraine was unfolding. They also wanted to know what course of action they should take next. During this dark time, Yuliya and her family decided to do volunteer work to help fellow refugees. They helped the church, which had opened its doors to help those in need, by running food shelves and providing clothes to those who needed them. Yuliya’s family and fellow church members also created donation apps to get more resources to help refugees from foundations. 

The Aftermath of War in Ukraine

The aftermath of the war has been cataclysmic, and many lives have been lost through the terrible ordeal of the war in Ukraine. The war forever changed Yuliya and her family’s way of life. But yet, Yuliya and her family still kept their hope, faith, and kindness by helping the less fortunate victims of the war. Through this ordeal, Yuliya found a greater perspective on the value of family, for in the end, she learned that it is all you have. Yuliya also learned the importance of adapting to even the worst situations, for one cannot change nor control the world but must learn to live through it to see tomorrow.

Arriving to and living in the US

Yuliah eventually decided to flee to the US to keep her family safe and also wanted her son to have the promise of a good future and an everyday life. Leaving Ukraine for Yuliya and her family was difficult, for it was the only home they ever knew. But yet she and her family endured and went on for the promise of a better life. It was a challenge for Yuliya and her family when adjusting to life in the US. But the challenge was eased by the kindness of the people and by the beauty of both the land and culture of America. Ultimately, Yuliya and her family found comfort and peace in America. They have built themselves a beautiful life here in America and saw their great promised future.