I was born and raised in Ukraine.
I studied history, then law. I worked, became involved in civic life, represented people, and served in the military.
Some things worked out. Some did not. Some decisions I would make differently today.
That life was not perfect. But it was mine, and I had built a place for myself inside it.
Learning how institutions and societies become what they are.
When abstract rules begin to matter to a real person standing in front of you.
Representation, responsibility, decisions and consequences.
A different kind of institution. A different kind of responsibility.
A life can change completely without erasing the person who lived it.
My two degrees did not disappear. My experience did not disappear. But my position in life collapsed to zero.
In Canada, much of life really did begin again from the start.
I started here in housekeeping at a hospital. And I still work there.
There is nothing romantic about a forced beginning. It is work, bills, fatigue, uncertainty, and the ordinary discipline of continuing anyway.
It is also an interesting place for someone who studied history and law.
You quickly discover that a large organization looks very different depending on where you are standing.
Where you stand changes what you see.
Structures that look solid from the outside are built by people on the inside.
Rules that look neutral can have very real effects on very real lives.
Representation, voice and power are not abstract ideas for me. They are daily reality.