Ukrainian journalist Olia Freimut had doubts about sending her daughter Zlata to the United States to board at Dunn School in Los Olivos this past fall. Today, now weeks into a brutal war sparked by Russia’s invasion of her home, Freimut is thankful to have made the decision.
“I wasn’t sure about my daughter going so far away,” Freimut said. “When she was only 14, she applied to Dunn School. I wanted her to be in Ukraine with me, but I think we are blessed by God because, right now, she’s not struggling.
“She has food, she has friends, she has community, teachers, the best professionals around her, and for me, right now, I’m so happy she is in a safe place.”
While recognizing the vast scale of the current humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, students at Dunn School are hoping to help as many individuals as possible, by establishing the Emergency Ukrainian Student Scholarship.
The charitable effort supports current students from Ukraine, like Zlata, and aims to bring additional displaced Ukrainian students to America to attend school at Dunn.
The initial goal is to raise $240,000 for the scholarship fund. That would cover three full international scholarships specifically for students from Ukraine to board at Dunn for an academic year, including tuition, room and board, incidentals such as school supplies, living expenses, and homestay support during school breaks.
“It wasn’t a question whether we would do everything we could to support Zlata and continue her education here at home,” said Kalyan Balaven, head of school at Dunn. “The question was what were we prepared to do to help Ukrainian students whose learning had come to a halt during this tragic time.
“The answer is in the strength of our community rallying together to help as many students as possible continue their education.”
“One hundred percent of the dollars given will go directly toward educating Ukrainian students displaced by the war,” Freimut said. “For us, America is like paradise. People think that if you’re in America, you’re safe, you are in a proper society, you won’t be bombed tomorrow.
“For kids who are suffering so much during this awful horrible time, it will be a nice prize to go and feel very important and share their minds and experience with local societies,” she said.
“Every single morning I look up, and I look at the news, then I start calling everybody I love,” Freimut said. “My father, it’s my mother, it’s my brother … my friends. My best friend, she’s still in Kyiv. …
“Every time, I’m looking at the phone saying ‘please answer, please answer,’ and if they’re not answering, I’m just losing my mind, because they are in shelters underground for a lot of days with small kids and no food.”
To donate, visit dunnschool.org/ukraine or call Dunn’s office of philanthropy, 805-686-0627.