High school student separated from family in Ukraine

FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. - The war in Ukraine has left a foreign exchange student in metro Atlanta both stranded and separated from her family because she cannot go home. The 16-year-old is doing her best to support Ukraine’s relief efforts while here studying in high school.

Safety is something Liza does not take for granted. And although she is here, safe and well cared for at the home of her host family in Fayette County, Liza’s heart is in Ukraine and with her mom and dad in their hometown that is under Russian attack.

"The biggest nuclear power plant in Europe is located in my city in Ukraine. It was attacked and damaged by Russian troops," she said. "I can’t even describe how happy I was that they were alive and that nuclear power plant, it was damaged but nothing bad happened."

Liza came to Fayette County through a state department exchange program in 2021. Out of thousands of students she was among the 200 selected because of her good grades.

The war broke out in February.

"So, I was calling my parents while my friends were sending me real footage of our town being attacked by Russian troops," she said. "When my parents finally picked up the phone, I was crying, I was terrified, but I was just happy that they were okay, and they were all alive."

Liza will spend another year in high school here, her senior year, since she cannot return home. She has worked to bring awareness of the war to her school, which dedicated two full-pages to her story in the year book. She has taken part in rallies in downtown Atlanta, spoken to civic groups and this past fourth of July decorated a parade entry with her host family and a couple volunteers.

She says the generosity of the American people has been amazing, and so has taken the leap from just raising awareness to also raising funds for the humanitarian organizations that are helping her homeland.

"I am just asking you for support for my country to make this difference," she said. "I feel like some people think that like little amount of donation or support from one person will not be as impactful. But that is not true because every single effort matters, and you can help right now."

If you would like to help in Liza’s efforts, there is a GoFundMe page.