NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Maria Semenichenko hears sirens while on the phone with her friends and family. They’re a signal to run for shelter.
“There are shelters underneath high schools, middle schools and underneath hospitals. A lot of people shelter in subways,” Semenichenko said.
For the 21-year-old SFA masters student, school is the last thing on her mind.
Even after almost 200,000 Russian troops lined the Ukrainian border, she said no one thought the war would actually happen.
But when it did early Thursday morning, her mom called.
“She called me in tears. And she was like ‘the war began.’ The area where they were in was attacked as well," Semenichenko said.
Her mom is a basketball coach and she was with her team in Kyiv right before Russia invaded.
“They attacked a childcare facility and many babies under two years old died. They attacked senior houses and civilian houses. There's no mercy on nobody,” Semenichenko said.
From Nacogdoches almost 6,000 miles away from her family, she checks in with them often. She still feels helpless.
In 2017, her parents sent her and her sister to school in the United States and Canada to build a better future for themselves.
Semenichenko said 5 years later with her home country being destroyed, she doesn’t know how much she can help.
“I wish I was home. I wish I could hug my mom," Semenichenko said. "I just hope I will have a home to come back to. I hope I will have a family to come back to.”
Her message to everyone-Ukraine is very small compared to Russia. Many didn’t think the country would last one day in war. But it’s day five and they’re still fighting.
“The nation is united and we believe that we'll win,” Semenichenko said.
