Two days before the war broke out unexpectedly, my parents had left Ukraine for work; So, my younger brother and I were left in Ukraine. Once the war began, I immediately sent my brother to join my parents. Sadly, I couldn't leave due to war restrictions. After enduring 14 grueling months in war-torn Ukraine, I finally managed to escape—by that time, my parents and younger brother had immigrated to Canada—and started a new life in America. You might have heard stories like this before. Well, mine happens to be one of them.

After leaving my homeland, I traversed many countries, including Romania, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Poland. I almost settled in Poland for university but decided to roll the dice and aim for North America instead. I also spent close to a month in the Netherlands, sleeping on the floor of my lifelong friend’s apartment. Subsequently, I returned to Poland and spent another month there, residing in hostels while I awaited my visa. Soon after, I visited my family in Canada and even took a trip to Niagara Falls. After spending around four weeks in Canada, I made my move to New York.

Landing in New York was like stepping into another world! I was searching for something, something familiar to keep me grounded. Enter technology, my old friend. It’s been the constant thread through my journey from Ukraine to this gigantic melting pot. And it’s looking good so far!

A friend of mine (he works at Spotify!) recommended Flatiron to me. I took the leap, applied, and here I am.

The Flatiron program is straight to the point: five phases over 15 weeks. I'm now wrapping up the third week of the first phase. In just this short time, I’ve seen my skills grow. I honestly can't believe how much I have learned during this time. JavaScript was the focus, and topics like EventListeners, JSON, Fetch API, and the DOM have become clearer to me. When I hit a roadblock, people from my cohort and the instructors were always there to help.

What’s also great about Flatiron is how it's helping me settle in this city. Alongside tech, there's a community here. We learn, struggle, and celebrate together. Every day, I feel more at home both in New York and in the world of coding.
And so, with every line of code I write at Flatiron, I feel like I’m finding my way, building a new home here—one where my past and my future can peacefully coexist.