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When I saw an escalator, I didn't even know how to get on it, so it was just like a completely
different world. After living in the Ukraine for eleven years,
Iryna Hrynyuk began a whole new life in America with her future uncertain.
With her father's support and hard work, Iryna's family was given the opportunity to live a
life she never imagined she would have. My Dad left earlier so when I went into first
grade, I basically just had my Mom and my sister, and I mean it was different. It was
a completely different life compared to here. While Iryna lives what some people may call
the "American Dream", she has faced many hardships to get to where she is now.
Coming to a new country and having to learn the language was really, really hard for me
because I didn't really know a lot of English at all when I first came here.
It was really, really hard, especially in elementary school because people used to make
fun of me and stuff. I kind of had to learn Russian because there's not a lot of people
that spoke Ukrainian. As Iryna looks ahead to her future, graduating
this May from Hofstra University, and starting a new job in finance, she will always remember
where she came from and how far she has come. I don't know I just feel very accomplished
because from where I came and where I am now, it's completely different.