Interview: Enjoying difficulties and learning to explore. The story of a Ukrainian designer studying in the US
Interview for Inspired (Interviewer Olga Datsiuk)
Yuliya Fedorovych fulfilled her long-standing dream and was able to study visual communication design in the United States. In this interview for Inspired, Yuliya explains why she had to forget the concept of free time and how she learned to live in "one-story America".
I have been a graphic designer for about ten years, but I never had the opportunity to get a formal design education. In 2009, I graduated from the Kyiv National Economic University with a Master's Degree in Management. However, I never worked a single day as a manager—my work was always related to design. Therefore, I was looking for an opportunity to get a formal design education, so I applied to the Fulbright Graduate Program in Ukraine. Many of my friends had the experience of studying under this program, so after consulting with them, I decided that was the way to go.
There are about two dozen programs in the United States where one can obtain a graduate degree in visual communication or industrial design tuition-free under various conditions. Undergraduate or associate degree programs always require tuition, and in some cases, the tuition is rather expensive. For example, a year of undergraduate studies at the University of Notre Dame, where I study, costs almost $53,000. Room and Board, class fees, and other expenses are about another $20,000. Needless to say, the undergraduate education here is rather pricy, which is why there are not as many foreign undergraduate students.
Graduate studies are a completely different story—in most cases, the universities are interested in graduate students as they are qualified specialists who can conduct independent research and, in some cases, even bring funding to the universities. However, the competition for admission to graduate school is rather fierce. My program, for example, accepts only one student per year. I don't know if I would have been able to get in if I hadn't been a Fulbright scholar. This fact really impresses some of my colleagues at the university. I think it's because Americans can also apply for this program to get the opportunity to study in another country, and many of them are aware of how competitive this program is
To apply for a Fulbright Graduate Student Program, one has to fill out an application form and submit an essay along with some letters of recommendation. Then, if the committee likes you, you will be invited for an interview. It seemed to me that one of the crucial criteria for the commission is the impact that a potential student can make as a result of their studies.
Fulbright Ukraine offers several programs—open study/research, graduate programs, language teaching, etc. I chose the Fulbright Graduate Student Program to pursue a master's degree in design. It was in May 2017. Three months later, in September, I was invited for an interview. Afterward, I took multiple exams and, guided by Fulbright staff, applied to various universities that offered programs in visual communication design.
Usually, about a year passes from filling out the application form to being enrolled in the university. The Fulbright program guides you along the way and covers most of the expenses associated with education, which makes it possible to get a degree without investing any of your own money.
About the moving process and the first challenges
I came to the United States in July 2018. First, I spent a whole month at an orientation seminar at Michigan State University—this was an event arranged for Fulbright scholars to practice English and familiarize themselves with life in the US. I started my studies in August, and currently, I have completed the first semester. I didn't think it would be possible, but as of now, my grades are perfect. My English, on the other hand, is not. Strangely enough, little attention is paid to it here. The main thing is how you think and what ideas you have.
I am studying in the Art, Art History, and Design Department at the University of Notre Dame, which is in South Bend, Indiana. It is a Catholic university founded in 1842 by the French priest Edward Sorin.
The campus of the University of Notre Dame (Photo: nd.edu)
It is undoubtedly a very religious place. I know a funny priest from the Department of Theology, and he jokes that this place is the Catholic Disneyland. Around Christmas time, the entire campus is sprinkled with an abundance of religious decorations. We regularly receive e-mails with the schedule of services in the local church, and priests are often seen at the local Starbucks or Burger King.
Despite this, there are LGBTQ+ flags everywhere, and quite a few people of various religions study here. I absolutely love this tolerance of otherness in its various manifestations. In this sense, I feel very comfortable here—one can be whatever one wants without fear of public condemnation.
When I was heading here, it seemed to me that I was well-prepared and ready for anything. When I arrived, it turned out that some things were impossible to prepare for. A lot of the difficulties arise, of course, because of the language. I speak English well, but I still struggle with writing. Reading and taking notes in English is more difficult compared to doing this in my native language. However, I try to be optimistic, and it seems to me that it most likely gets easier with each passing semester.
About the search for housing
Even though education is free, I still need to earn money to pay rent, eat, and buy learning materials, art supplies, and other things. So, I work as a graphic designer at an art museum on campus, and I also teach a course on software for designers and assist one of the professors in teaching their course.
For all this work, I get paid around $1400 a month. It, of course, is not much, but it covers all the basic expenses. The city where I live, South Bend, Indiana, is small and inexpensive—a perfect example of a one-story America. When I first came here, I was like: "Okay, that's all good, but where is the actual city?". There are not a lot of ways to spend money here. Regardless, studies and work take up almost all of my time. My only major expense is rent.
The downtown of South Bend, Indiana
In a certain sense, I got lucky with my housing search as I live with people from my program. When I enrolled at the University, I reached out to the department asking for any tips on finding housing. In a day or so, I was able to find a room, which I was really happy about. When I arrived there, I realized that the room was unfurnished and rather tiny. However, my roommates seemed great. There was a note on the fridge with the rules of the house written on it. I started reading, and I couldn’t make sense of it at first. It turned out it was a humorous poster, with only one serious rule to not scatter your belongings everywhere. I remember reading it and thinking: "Okay, this I can do."
Both my housemates are American. At first, I was worried whether we would be comfortable living together, but then it turned out that there was no reason to worry. We are all in the same boat, so we often understand each other despite cultural differences. Besides, it seems my roommates sincerely like other people, and I do too. That's the main thing. I am confident I couldn't wish for better roommates—they are very kind and supportive. For example, they give me rides now and then since I seem to be the only one without a car here.
The United States, except for some large cities, is not well set up for life without a car. For example, I live an hour's walk from the campus, and I don't always have the time or the ability to walk. The local public transit system is very limited. Buses run once an hour only on weekdays, and it takes me half an hour to walk home from the nearest bus stop. Only a handful of people use public transportation since everyone has a car. I mostly get around by bicycle, but if the weather gets harsh, I rely on roommates and friends.
About free time
Almost all people in my program are in their late twenties or early thirties, around my age. However, there are always exceptions: last year, a man in his late fifties graduated from the industrial design program here.
There is very little time for leisure here—I am very busy with studying, working, and sleeping. This semester, for example, I have to start teaching a course of my own in addition to all the other work I do. It could seem like a real reason to worry since I don't have much teaching experience, but I don't even have time to think about worrying.
After coming here, I had to re-evaluate the concept of free time. When I lived in Ukraine, it seemed to me that I was constantly busy, but when I got here, I realized that comparatively speaking, I did have lots of free time back at home.
For instance, I can no longer keep all my meetings in my head, so I meticulously maintain a calendar and have lots of to-do lists to go through daily. Sadly, I have almost no time left for socializing or communicating with people, if it's not work or studying-related. I never thought I could be as organized as I am here.
What surprised me the most here was people's attitude to work—everyone works all the time and is hyper-responsible. In addition to studying and teaching, I work in a museum, and most of my colleagues there always answer work-related emails after hours. For many, work always comes first.
Sometimes, I wake up in the morning and complain to my roommates that I am about to have a hard day ahead, to which they reply: "Enjoy your day!". At first, I didn't understand how this was even possible —to enjoy a day if its hard. I thought one could enjoy sipping wine in a bar or sleeping longer on the weekends. After I thought about it for a while, I realized that because everyone here works in such a frantic rhythm, and working extra hard is inevitable, they try to make the best out of it and enjoy the process of working even though it is often rather challenging.
It's hard to draw parallels between educational processes in Ukraine and the US. However, what strikes me is that most students here are highly motivated and hardworking, and most professors are more than just knowledgeable and enthusiastic educators. The University of Notre Dame is a very competitive institution for any position, so you have to work hard to get in and keep up the good work once you're there.
Everyone constantly evaluates each other—professors grade student work, and students, in turn, provide feedback on professors' teaching approaches. If some professors repeatedly receive poor student feedback, it can affect their position.
Before I got here, I didn't have expectations about the learning process. However, I did have some ideas about what I would want the process to look like. For example, I wanted to be able to focus on acquiring technical skills. However, the program turned out to be quite the opposite—it's aimed at independent theoretical research on your chosen topic. We must conduct independent research, read, think, analyze, and re-think. We also learn to talk about our work and better communicate it to the audience. Although it's not what I expected, I'm still very interested.
About why harder is better
When I was applying for the Fulbright Graduate Student Program, I had a hard time writing an essay. Later on, I had an even harder time passing the exams. All this time, I told myself that it would get easier. But the truth is that it will not. It will only get harder and harder. However, with each subsequent step, a person becomes stronger and more experienced, which makes it possible to move further to new, previously unattainable achievements.
Despite the struggles caused by the language barrier, I am very interested in rediscovering myself while overcoming these difficulties. I used to think that my whole identity was very much tied to my native language, Ukrainian. While in the US, I have to formulate and verbalize all my thoughts differently in another language. That's where my ability to joke suffers the most. Half of my jokes get lost in translation, and the other half I can't formulate promptly enough.
This is a great adventure and a great challenge. It's necessary to have a fairly high level of mental strength and emotional resistance, as there are a lot of situations that are difficult to navigate—with admission, moving overseas, working, teaching, and studying. It is crucial to ask yourself whether you are ready for such a thing, and if it seems for even a moment that you are, you must boldly take the first step, and then everything will fall into place as it should.
