Help Yaroslav Soria Continue His Education in the USA

My name is Yaroslav Soria, I'm 18 years old, and I am an exchange student from Ukraine.Two years ago , I came to the United States in 2022 as a 16 year old boy. I was part of the FLEX exchange program, which was created by the U.S. Department of State for students from around the world to promote cultural exchange.

I graduated from Senior at Southern Regional High school and in March 2024, I received a letter informing me that I had been accepted to Stockton University, and I was excited about this news. I really like this University so far. The staff here really cares about its students and puts all of their heart and soul into teaching classes. This school has a lot of different activities that I like as well as amazing facilities for studying and working out. On top of that the campus itself is gorgeous and I really enjoy hanging out here.

I was also informed about the tuition fees, and the college offered me a discount, bringing the cost of tuition to approximately $23,000 USD per year.

However I can not afford the tuition as I am considered to be an out of state student which makes me not eligible for FAFSA, Student Aid or Loans due to being a foreigner and not having a Social Security Number. The money that my parents saved up for my education really decreased in value because of inflation and the full scale invasion of Ukraine. Which also almost completely shut down the education process due to lack of electricity, airstrike attacks and some schools being completely destroyed.

In February 2022, the Russian forces invaded Ukraine without any justification, and to this day, Ukraine remains in a state of hot war with the Russian Federation. I want to say that the U.S. government and ordinary Americans strongly support Ukraine and Ukrainians, and we are immensely grateful to them for this. I believe that without such support, we would have already lost our country.

As a result of this aggression by Russia, the Ukrainian national currency has greatly depreciated against the U.S. dollar. Consequently, my parents' incomes, who permanently reside in Ukraine, have also greatly depreciated, as well as the savings they have accumulated over a long time for my education.

If I do not continue my education at an American college, I will be forced to return to Ukraine, where the opportunity to receive a good higher education is practically non-existent at the moment, as educational institutions operate offline due to the war, many do not conduct educational activities at all, some are physically destroyed by Russian forces, or are located in occupied territories.

I really dream of studying at Stockton University, receiving a good education, and actively participating in the rebuilding of my devastated homeland.

I will be very grateful to you for any help or assistance.

Sincerely,

Yaroslav Soria.