From Kiev to New Orleans without skipping a beat

By Peter Finney Jr.
Clarion Herald

The whirlwind that is the life of 17-year-old Ukrainian Mykyta Skyba – now culturally ensconced as a Holy Cross Tiger – has been made much more manageable by the warm welcome he has experienced over the last month from his new school community and his New Orleans host family.

“I’m really excited about everything since, for me, America is kind of a new world,” said Mykyta, who fled his war-ravaged country, leaving behind his father and younger sister, and arrived at Louis Armstrong International Airport the night of Aug. 19.

There he met his Marrero host family, which included Holy Cross student body president Austin Diodene and his parents, Wendy and John.

From plane to Ring Mass

Less than 24 hours later, Mykyta walked up the aisle at St. Dominic Church in a dark blue suit provided by Tuxedos to Geaux to receive his official senior ring at Mass. A few hours later, he showed off his moves at the Holy Cross Ring Dance in the school cafeteria, and he sent the photos to his father to reassure him that he was safe.

“He was really angry with me about it because he thought the only thing I was doing was partying,” Mykyta said, smiling. “But everybody was putting me in the middle, and I had to dance.”

In between his visit to the tuxedo shop, he was fitted for new school uniforms at Skobel’s School Uniforms.

“The first day, he came to school in a plain uniform, and the second day he had his name laminated and everything,” Austin Diodene said. “They really hooked us up. I’ve never seen the community so supportive of something like this. The first day he got here, I got 82 texts just saying, ‘Hey, we want to welcome him into our family. If you need anything, let us know.’”

When war broke out in February – Mykyta was awakened at 5 a.m. by the sound of bombs going off near Kiev – Mykyta’s father began looking for a way to get his son out of the country. Mykyta’s academic counselor began scouring the internet for possible host schools outside of Ukraine, and she also knew of the new Holy Cross headmaster William Gallagher, who made the invitation and began looking for a host family.

Host family is enriched

Wendy Diodene said when she first received an email from Holy Cross asking if a family might be able to host a Ukrainian student, she and her husband talked it over and wondered how it might affect their son Austin’s senior year.

“Knowing how much Austin loves Holy Cross – and that he has the biggest heart and how deep his faith is in God – I knew he would embrace this opportunity and act selflessly to agree to open our home to Mykyta,” Wendy said. “God calls us to service, and what better way to answer his call than to remember his words, ‘Whatsoever you do unto the least of my people, you do unto me.’”

Mykyta communicates daily with his family, which also includes his grandparents, despite the eight-hour time difference. They remain in Kiev.

“I would say 80 to 90% of the people that I know have left the country,” Mykyta said. “Most of them are in Poland, some of them are in Germany.”

Mykyta said once the war started, his father allowed him to drive a car to take care of his grandparents even though the age for a driver’s license is 18.

“I was driving through the worst part of Ukraine,” Mykyta said. “The police would stop me a lot of times, but I explained that it was because my father decided he will protect Kiev.”

Sister took one for the team

Austin’s older sister Brittany also has had a hand in making the new arrangement possible.

“She’s in college, so she moved out, and Mykyta actually took her room,” Austin said, laughing. “Mykyta has this huge room that’s a little girly, but that’s OK. We’re still trying to make it feel not as girly.”

In addition to his student council duties, Austin plays trombone in the band. Mykyta has displayed some of his native soccer skills during his free time.

“I’m not going to lie,” Austin said. “I’m a bigger guy. Mykyta stays away from sweets and keeps a low carb count, and he exercises a lot. One day Mykyta says, ‘Austin, come to my room.’ I walk over and he’s putting on a workout video. He was like, ‘Let’s do a workout.’ He’s changed my life. He’s also gotten me eating healthier.”

Mykyta said he hopes to go to college in the U.S. and study engineering. He is adept in science, physics and math. He also likes history and politics, and he is looking forward to the day when he may be able to return to his country.

“I believe that the war would end, and I would like for us to get back our like territories – that people will come back to Ukraine and we’ll rebuild the country,” he said.

“I’m really thankful for this opportunity. When I see someone trying to help me, I just say, ‘Thank you.’ I don’t know what else to do. So, I will try to justify this opportunity. I will try to do my best here.”

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