On the night I left Kamloops, I had just finished teaching my final in person class of 2026 at TRU. Fall is my non-teaching term, the season I keep for research and service, so this evening carried that particular feeling of one chapter (21 years of in-person teaching in Canada) closing while another quietly begins. I was packed for Nairobi, my mind already half across the ocean, and then I looked up and there they were.
Rostyslav and Vitaliy had arrived.
We share this photo at dusk, the light going soft over the valley, an ordinary parking lot turned into something I will remember for a long time. Two young men from Ukraine, far from home, standing beside me with open faces and tired eyes and that unmistakable spark of people who have crossed a great distance to begin something. This year there were fewer delays, and although they could not start their research on May 1st as we had hoped, they made it. I was almost out the door when they came in. I am so glad they did.
This is a first for me. For the first time, Ukraine has allowed male students to travel to Canada since 2022, and for the first time I was able to invite young men from Ukraine to learn about TRU and Kamloops, and for us to learn from them in return. That word matters to me: in return. They are not only here to receive. They are here to share their talents, and we are richer for it.
Rostyslav and Vitaliy will study how Canada and the United States stand with Ukraine, and by the end of the month a third student will join us so we can look at Germany too, and understand this solidarity more fully, more honestly, from more than one angle. It will be a busy summer. When I return from Nairobi the work will carry on through September, and I could not be prouder of the students who walk this road with me.
None of this happens alone. I want to thank Sofiia, our local Mitacs alumna, who is living proof of what this program can grow and of how much Kamloops gains from Ukrainian talent when we open the door. I want to thank Trevor, who chose to do his practicum with me this year, continuing a tradition I treasure: last year Joshua supported Нина, and the two of them learned so much from one another. This year Trevor, Rostyslav, and Vitaliy build their skills together under my supervision, three students, one shared purpose.
I already know Vitaliy and Rostyslav attended the Stand with Ukraine peaceful gathering on Saturday, where they met some of the most caring people in Kamloops. Hearing the students’ weekly updates from afar has been one of the quiet joys of my time in Nairobi. They are in good hands.
When I am back, I will restart our extended weekend travels so the students can join Mama and me in seeing the beauty of British Columbia, the rivers, the hills, the long light of a summer evening. We will share the best of what we have, and they will share the best of what they carry.
So please, when you see Vitaliy and Rostyslav around Kamloops, say hello. Welcome them. Tell them they belong here.
To everyone who supports Mitacs, to everyone who stands with Ukraine, and to TRU for the leadership it shows in bringing international talent to our city: thank you. This is what it looks like when a community chooses to love, to care, and to share.
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