Farmington High senior Kayleah Kirkwood is having an experience not many high school kids get – a front row seat to the effects of the war in Ukraine. Kirkwood isn’t actually there, she is practicing English online with 15-year-old Melaniia, from Kharkiv and sees what she sees.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned is about the culture of Ukraine,” said Kirkwood. “The culture is kind of the same as the U.S. but also wildly different. It’s surprising to me what has changed since the war.”

Because parks and other places are closed, they have to do other things, she said. “She has her whole family with her in an apartment. She’s been doing home school for two to three years. They experience bombing every day but they’re mostly safe.”

Kayleah Kirkwood (top) and Melaniia from Ukraine video chat once a week to practice English. Photo courtesy of Kirkwood.

Kirkwood got started with the program ENGin, a nonprofit that connects English speakers to people in Ukraine for weekly one-on-one video chat conversations, when she was looking for a volunteer opportunity. “I wanted to do some volunteer work so I went on the JustServe.org website and found it,” she said. “I was learning Ukrainian so it was amazing to volunteer with someone who speaks the language. The great thing about the organization is they allowed her to be in the program if she had some basic knowledge of the language.”

Melaniia has been in an English class so it’s awesome she knows some English, said Kirkwood. “This will help her learn more deeply and make it easier for her to talk to someone. She can ask me specific questions that she can’t really ask other people.”

Kirkwood said she has a lot in common with Melaniia. “When you sign up to volunteer you can put preferences down. Things like age, grade level and hobbies. If they also do that, they match you. We’re both interested in learning languages and trying new things. They matched us because we had some of the same interests.”

One of Kirkwood’s hobbies is Irish dancing. “My cousins were doing it so I started,” she said. “You can connect with a lot of people. Then I got introduced to even more people.”

When Kirkwood graduates she wants to work with AmeriCorps, she said. “I want to study business in college and work in a nonprofit.”

ENGin started in 2020, said Kirkwood. “It’s cool. It allows Ukrainians to connect with people across the globe. It’s awesome to talk once a week with someone who has never been to the U.S. before. People should get involved in volunteering – it takes hardly any time.”

Melaniia has become so much more confident, said Kirkwood. “I can see her progressing every month. Melaniia and I have become so much closer and I feel I benefit from our relationship almost as much as she does.” λ