John Carroll student drawn to art, Ukrainian culture

BEL AIR – Kamila Sokolyk is an artist. She loves working with paints and pencils and is always looking to develop her talent.

“I was in an art co-op in Ukraine,” she said. That was before war broke out. Now, as a new student at The John Carroll School in Bel Air, Kamila has been accepted into the Fine Arts Distinction Program.

Even at 15 years old, Kamila already knows that, for her, art is more than a hobby. One day, she hopes to carry those paints and pencils into her career.  

“Kamilia is an extremely talented artist,” says Sherri Woosley, who teaches English at John Carroll. “Through her art, I hope she can bring awareness of global issues to Bel Air and demonstrate that we’re all children of God.”

Despite her talent, Kamila is at first hesitant to show her art. But then she scrolls through her phone and finds an image of one of her favorite pieces. She holds it up.

“This drawing is very important to me,” she says. The image depicts the town hall, a building called “Ratusha,” the heart of Kamila’s home city, Ivano-Frankivsk. “Every time I look at this picture, I remember my hometown, friends, familiar streets, the smell of delicious food.” Kamilia’s rendering of “Ratusha” depicts the exact angle from which she often approached the city center.

That, of course, was before the Russian invasion of Ukraine forced Kamila’s family – like so many other Ukrainians – to completely reimagine their lives.

“After Russia attacked on Feb. 24, 2022, everything changed,” Kamilia said. Living in a state of constant anxiety meant it was hard to study. Classes were often suspended, and work was frequently canceled.

“It was hard in the winter,” Kamila remembered. “All the energy facilities were shelled. We did not have light and heat for several days. 

“Everyone knows about Mariupol,” Kamila said. “Russians blocked the possibility of leaving, shelled our volunteer trucks carrying humanitarian aid.”

To survive, some people took desperate measures. That included eating pigeons or drinking boiled water from snow or puddles, she said. 

But the war affects every Ukrainian, even those living in cities like Kamila’s far from the front lines. 

“It’s a small but very cozy city and it’s located in the west of Ukraine,” Kamilia said of Ivano-Frankivsk. “So, the city hasn’t undergone such terrible changes as other cities in the east.”

But that doesn’t mean the city is safe.

“Our city was also hit by rockets,” Kamila remembered. “The last rocket that hit my city killed an 8-year-old boy. There are no safe places in Ukraine.”

And so, Kamila’s family looked for a way to leave.

“The United States has a program to admit refugees from Ukraine under a humanitarian parole system, which allows refugees to stay in this country for two years, as long as they have a sponsor,” Sherri Woosley said. Woosley, along with her husband, Mike, sponsored the Sokolyk family.

“Mike first had the idea,” Sherri said. “His great grandparents came to the U.S. fleeing a Russian pogrom. So, our family is profoundly sympathetic to the unfathomable suffering caused by this unnecessary war.”

Through a humanitarian organization called WelcomeConnect, the Woosleys matched with Svitlana Sokolyk, her cousin Iryna, and her teenage daughter, Kamila.

“We noticed that Kamila had a very close birthday to our twin daughters,” Sherri said. “That really made us empathize with the situation.”

While the Woosleys are the official sponsors of the Sokolyk family, creating hospitality became a community-wide project. Sherri was surprised by how many different people came together to prepare a home for strangers.

“Members of Bel Air Church of the Nazarene each took a room and became responsible for getting furniture, hanging prints and providing everything from bed sheets to toilet paper,” she said. “Students from The John Carroll School came by to assemble outside furniture, plant flowers in the backyard, and learn how to put together a fire pit. Teachers, parents and administrators from John Carroll contributed gift cards and physical presents so that the family would immediately feel welcomed and loved.”

“We actually thought it would be just a house and we would need to buy everything,” Kamila remembered. “But it was all already there – it was good.”

“Svitlana said that education was very important to her,” Sherri said. “Kamila started the school year with new uniforms and new school books.”

Kamila’s family arrived in Maryland May 29. Within a month, all three women had found jobs. Kamila works at a pet store. Additionally, Kamila’s mother and aunt have been hard at work studying English.

As she looks at this new chapter of her life, Kamila is determined to keep her culture alive. “Ukrainian culture is rich in traditions and customs, especially Ukrainian national cuisine,” she says. Sharing those traditions with her new community is something she hopes to do.

And her passion for art? Has she thought about using her talents to introduce her classmates to parts of the world they may have never before encountered?  

Kamila smiled. 

“I hadn’t thought about it,” she says. “But maybe.”

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