What started with broken English and hand gestures to communicate turned into an act of kindness that could never be repaid. When Tonya Foster, an administrative assistant in the psychology department, learned that Nina Kovalevych, a Wofford housekeeper, was trying to find a way to get her family that was stuck in war-torn Ukraine over to the U.S., she stepped in to help.
“Even though I can’t speak Ukrainian and she can’t communicate well with English, we used hand motions and things like that. She had come to me and … showed me on an email what she was trying to do to get her family [here],” Foster said. “We kinda just figured out what each other was saying.”
Foster mentioned that Kovalevych is not Wofford’s only Ukrainian employee and they would sometimes use others to help translate. But the two initially bonded over Kovalevych’s outward love for her family.
“Tetiana [Kovalevych’s youngest daughter] translates to Tonya so that’s how she and I initially connected,” Foster said.
Foster aided Kovalevych with each individual letter to the U.S. Embassy, requesting her two daughters, grandchildren and son-in-law to come stay with Kovalevych and her husband. However, at the time of her embassy request, martial law had been declared in Ukraine meaning able bodied men aged 18-60 had to stay and fight the war efforts– meaning her request for her son-in-law was denied at the time.
“It would give me great pleasure and peace of mind for my family to be reunited and out of harm’s way during this dangerous time in the Ukraine,” Kovalevych wrote in her letter to the embassy.
After countless emails and official government documents, Foster and Kovalevych finally received the good news. Kovalevych’s daughters, Liubuv and Tetiana, along with her young grandchildren, Karina and Elisha were able to join their loved ones here in the United States.
“I wish I could tell you the time length that it took, but … we finally got her daughters over. She came and showed me pictures of when they got off the plane. They had stopped and took pictures … at the sign on the interstate that says ‘Welcome to South Carolina’,” Foster said. “Just taking a little bit of time out of your own life to help somebody with something huge like that– it makes up for the bad stuff.”
Although Kovalevych declined to comment, Foster remarked how Kovalevych will show her current pictures of her now reunited family, reaffirming Foster she had made the right choice, though a simple and humble one.
“If people could understand the heartbreak of others and how desperate she was to get her children over here even though they’re grown adults– how could you say no?” Foster said.
To understand the context of this story, it is important to also understand the turmoil still happening in Eastern Europe. Dr. Rachel Vanderhill, a government and international affairs professor, teaches numerous classes here at Wofford, but specializes in topics such as international conflict and Russia and its neighbors.
Vanderhill was able to provide more insight into the conflict itself and just how lengthy the refugee process is here in the United States.
“After the start of the war in 2022, the American government launched several special programs to help Ukrainians come to the United States … [Bringing one’s family over] is a complicated legal process and depends on specific circumstances. However, family reunification, especially for spouses, parents and children under 21 is often a priority,” Vanderhill remarked.
The war between Russia and Ukraine has resulted in many deaths and tragedies, but Foster takes comfort in knowing she helped one family escape that.
“She shows me pictures and it’s comforting to see. About eight million Ukrainians have been internally displaced and about 8.2 [million] have fled,” Foster said.
“The United States has actively worked to support Ukraine at the United Nations and imposed economic sanctions on Russia to help degrade Russia’s ability to fight this war,” Vanderhill said.
For now, there are no immediate plans to reunite Kovalevych and her family with Liubuv’s husband who had to stay in Ukraine as martial law will likely remain in place until the end of the war. Regardless, Foster is grateful for the role she played in the reunion of a loving family amid such turmoil.
