A few weeks ago, Sofiia Khoperska was one of 12 students selected as a student of the month for April. Only her story is different from the others because Sofiia, a ninth-grader at Pleasant Valley High School, speaks only a little bit of English. She’s from Ukraine.

On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. The Russian military crossed the border on its way to Kharkiv where Sofiia Khoperska lived with her mother, Natalia Pustova; her older brother, Myroslav Khopersky, and her stepfather.

After 12 days of fierce fighting, bombs detonating and civilians dying, more than 600,000 residents of Kharkiv and surrounding communities began evacuating the city via the railways. The next day on March 9, Sofiia and her mother and brother left for Poland. Her stepfather and her father stayed back to join the fight for their country.

In a statement, Natalia, her mother, said, “In Ukraine, there were constant bombing and was danger threatened. For the safety my children, we had to leave the country.”

Once in Poland, the family found shelter, and Natalia’s sister and her children joined them there. Sofiia and her brother enrolled in school in their new temporary home.

Meanwhile, Natalia’s friend from Ukraine, who has been living in the United States for many years, urged her to come here and live with her and her husband in Monroe County. The friend also welcomed Natalia’s sister and her two children to come, but they couldn’t because they didn’t have passports.

On July 6, the family arrived in the United States and were greeted by Natalia’s friend, who had agreed to be their sponsor through the United for Ukraine program and to be financially responsible for them during their stay here. By September, the friendship had deteriorated.

Now, the family must find a new home, and soon.

Sofiia’s eyes well up in tears at the mere mention of her home in Ukraine.

With the help of a translation app on her phone and her English as a Second Language teacher Susanne Rasely Philipps at Pleasant Valley, Sofiia, 14, said she misses her friends, her relatives, her home, and with a quiver in her voice she said, “I miss my room.”

She lost her home for now but Sofiia stays in contact with her old friends through social media apps. Like Sofiia, her friends are refugees, too, scattered throughout Europe - Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, etc. None of them are in the United States.

Here in the U.S., Sofiia said she loves nature, the lifestyle, and the open friendliness of the people.

She has seven classes at Pleasant Valley. Her 17-year-old brother, Myroslav, is there, too. He is a junior.

After school, Sofiia comes home and takes classes online with her school in Ukraine five days a week.

“Online, I have a lot of lessons,” she said.

In the meantime, Sofiia hopes to play volleyball next school year, enjoys music, and doing nail art.

Sofiia looks forward to going home to Ukraine someday and being a chef when she grows up. The United for Ukraine program allows Ukrainian refugees to stay here for two years. Sofiia has been here for almost a year.

When asked what her country means to her, Sofiia said, “For me, it is pride and support and glad that I was born Ukrainian and not some other region.”

She is also fond of Ukrainian dance and her language.

“I love the Ukrainian language very much. We often call it the language of the nightingale,” she said through the translation app. She said it sounds lyrical.

Before Sofiia does go home, there is one place in the U.S. she would like to see. With a big smile, she said, “the ocean.”

If you can help the family find housing, contact Times News reporter Kristine Porter at kporter@tnonline.com.