Help a young Ukrainian architect get her Masters

Her name is Lesia Tysovska and she is a young architect from Ukraine. I am Denise Johnston and our paths collided in March of this year, a couple of weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine.

My husband and I were able to offer Lesia and her mother safety and shelter in our home in France after they fled from their homeland two weeks after Russia invaded. Their world was literally torn apart as they made that heartbreaking decision to leave their home and their loved ones, Lesia’s Dad and her elderly grandmother, not knowing what to expect in France but at least knowing they could avoid the bombs and constant sirens. Trying to make decisions on your future career with the constant worry for the safety of your family and friends has been immensely challenging.

But Lesia is up for challenges and by her own admission, the outbreak of the war has taught her many lessons. One of them is that you should never give up on your dreams. She has always wanted to be an architect and qualified with her BA from Kyiv in 2018. She had always dreamed of doing a Masters in the US but despite being accepted by several universities in 2021, she couldn’t make it work financially. Recently, she worked with her Kyiv agency on reconstruction projects for railway stations and market squares that have been bombarded by the Russians. Her country will need talented architects like her for decades to come to re-build hospitals, housing, schools, bridges….and her initial dream of a Masters in Architecture has taken on a whole new meaning in this light.

So we encouraged her to re-apply for a scholarship and use this time to improve her skills, knowledge and experience to benefit her beloved country further down the line. She was absolutely thrilled to receive a very generous scholarship from NorthEastern University in Boston knowing that there were still complex hurdles to overcome both financial and emotional as she would need to leave her mother in France to follow her dream.

So here’s where you can help….. we are raising funds to cover her remaining tuition fees and living expenses for her first year in Boston. Every single donation helps no matter how small it is and you will be contributing to help fulfill one brave Ukrainian lady’s big dream of being an amazing architect…..and helping to re-build her beautiful country in Ukraine when this war is over.

Thank you so much if you are able to help Lesia….