Ukrainian native deals with difficult issues on the home front

When Russia attacked her native Ukraine, Kateryna Lototska, ’22, considered dropping out of her ���鵺��̳ classes. She was more concerned for the safety of friends and family back home, as well as her country’s future, than she was her coursework.

“All of those horrible things you see on the news, it was happening all around them,” said Kateryna, whose mom continues to live outside Kyiv.

But Kateryna finished the semester – and her degree in Spanish – thanks to the caring ���鵺��̳ community. Global Languages professors Ryan LaBrozzi, José Lara, and Fernanda Ferreira showed compassion while helping her cope with the tragedy unfolding in her homeland.

“They have been amazing,” said Kateryna, who minored in Asian Studies and took Japanese language classes. “I felt supported.”

Dr. Lara, who taught Kateryna in Culture and Politics of Latin American Music and Dance, praised her maturity and commitment to her studies.

“She’s extremely passionate, whether about her country or her ideas,” he said. “She persevered in a very difficult situation.”

Kateryna moved to the U.S. in 2007, becoming a citizen in 2019. She started at Cape Cod Community College, where advisers recommended she go on to earn a bachelor’s degree.

“I was just motivated,” said Kateryna, 41, who juggled classes and two jobs. “I’m an immigrant, so we usually can’t get the jobs Americans can because we’re undereducated.”  

Initially considering a different university that didn’t feel like home to her, Kateryna ultimately embraced ���鵺��̳, where she felt valued as an individual.

“The support I found is completely different,” she said. “I felt more welcomed here.”

That continued during the Russian invasion as ���鵺��̳ flew the Ukrainian flag prominently on Boyden Hall – a gesture Kateryna said was “huge” for her.

In Lara’s class, she drew connections between the war and Latin American politics. Providing that opportunity for dialogue is an important way of helping a student facing a crisis, Lara said.

“We as professors need to take a more holistic approach to the student,” he said. “It’s not just the academics, but their emotional and psychological well-being.”

In addition to her studies, Kateryna regularly appears on iHeartRadio’s Pat Desmaris Show to offer perspective on the war and dispel myths.

She fundraises for supplies and housing for refugees escaping Ukraine. She sold lawn signs and stickers with Ukrainian symbols at Food Port International Market, an Eastern European grocery store in Hyannis, where she works.

“It’s a network and I think this is the best way to do it,” she said, praising a donation from ���鵺��̳ to the cause. “That’s what Ukrainians do. We just learn to help each other out.”

After crossing the commencement stage, Kateryna plans to visit Ukraine to see the effects of war. Once back in the U.S., she aims to seek a government job to make her mark on the world.

“What’s happening in Ukraine is going to reshape the whole world landscape,” she said. “This is the 21st century in the middle of Europe. There’s no way this should have happened. Change has got to be made.”

Do you have a ���鵺��̳ story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

The support I found is completely different. I felt more welcomed here.

Alexander Fagundes, ’21, and Jennifer Santana, ’22, know the value of higher education. And thanks to ���鵺��̳’s partnership with local community colleges, they’re able to reach for their dreams.

Earning associate’s degrees helped Alexander adjust to college academics, and Santana, as she prefers to be called, get the boost she needed to return to the classroom after time away from school.

Their journeys highlight the importance of CC2���鵺��̳, a program offering guaranteed Bridgewater admission for Bristol and Massasoit community college students who earn associate’s degrees. Advisers dedicated to students’ success are made available through the program. Meanwhile, the CC2���鵺��̳ participants can also use ���鵺��̳ facilities, such as the library and fitness center, before officially becoming a Bear.

Alexander

At ���鵺��̳, Alexander can’t wait to go to class. That’s a far cry from a few years ago, when he didn’t even want to be in school.

It took the death of his grandmother to change his attitude. She lived with Alexander and his mom and passed away the summer before his senior year at Brockton High School. He realized he needed to focus on academics to support his family.

“It opened my eyes,” he said. “I needed to step up now.”

Alexander knew he wanted to attend ���鵺��̳, but found enrolling at Massasoit Community College eased the transition from high school to Bridgewater. And he came to ���鵺��̳ during his time as a Massasoit student to play pick-up basketball games.

“Being on campus, I felt like I belonged,” he said.

Now a marketing major, Alexander is impressed with how his professors care about more than just giving out grades.

“They genuinely want to get to know you, building that relationship and helping you as a student,” he said. 

Alexander aspires to work in the sports or automotive industries. No matter where he lands, he knows the CC2���鵺��̳ program set him up for success and allowed him to help others, just as his grandmother did.

“I know she’s looking down at me proud,” he said.

Santana

Social workers assist people in all walks of life, but Santana has a specific career goal: reuniting human trafficking victims and their families and ensuring they have the support they need.

That motivates Santana, a domestic abuse survivor from Fall River, to pursue her studies, first at Bristol Community College and now as a social work major and psychology minor at ���鵺��̳.

“If I can help one person it’s going to be worth it,” said Santana, who had to put her education on hold while in recovery from addiction. “People didn’t give up on me. I don’t want to give up.”

Her professors at Bristol prepared her for the academic rigor she experiences as a Bridgewater student. She praises staff in ���鵺��̳’s Academic Achievement Center for helping her with writing and other critical skills despite her dyslexia and ADHD.

“They’re patient, they’re very non-judgmental, and they’re accommodating,” she said.

Santana hopes to pursue graduate school at ���鵺��̳ after earning her undergraduate degree. She has aspired to come to ���鵺��̳ since realizing social workers she admired as a child were graduates.

“There are days that I want to quit, but I won’t,” she said. “My dreams are coming true.”

Do you have a ���鵺��̳ story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.

There are days that I want to quit, but I won’t. My dreams are coming true.