Sofia starts new life after war ravages her homeland
Sofia Sorokina, a Ukrainian refugee, enjoying the Gold Coast lifestyle after she was granted a medical scholarship. Picture: Glenn Hampson
Lisette Drew
When Russia dropped bombs on her Ukrainian home in March last year, Sofia Sorokina had no choice but to flee.
Ms Sorokina woke early to study for her medical degree when she heard what she thought were “fireworks”.
When she saw the bombs lighting up the sky outside her window in Kharkiv, she immediately called her mother.
“The war is here. The war has started,” she said.
Quickly throwing her laptop and make-up into a small backpack, Ms Sorokina fled with her grandmother, Lyudmila, to Australia to reunite with her mother and sister, Iryna and Valeria. Her mother was at the time on holiday visiting Ms Sorokina’s sister who had been living here on the Gold Coast since 2020.
“The hardest thing was seeing my favourite city destroyed without bursting into tears,” Ms Sorokina said.
“The place where I’ve grown up wasn’t the same anymore. (That’s) The moment when you realise that your life is never going to be the same.
“When your most close and loved people are going to be in the different parts of the world, and you don’t know if you will ever see them again.”
Ms Sorokina, her mother and grandmother were issued Temporary Humanitarian Concern visas to remain in Australia while the war raged in their homeland.
“I was surprised with the rapid reaction of Australian government to manage Ukrainian refugees and help us to adapt,” Ms Sorokina said.
The place where I’ve grown up wasn’t the same anymore. (That’s) The moment when you realise that your life is never going to be the same…
— Sofia Sorokina
“First of all, we got our visas within few hours. It allowed us to quickly jump on the plane in Warsaw and fly to Australia.
“Then they also provided a special visa which allows us to study and work without any restrictions, and get Medicare cards. For me as a person who couldn’t continue pursuing my Ukrainian degree, this was a great opportunity to study.”
Midway through her medical degree, the war put Ms Sorokina’s dreams on hold.
The Ukrainian government requires all Ukrainian university students to complete a government exam in-person at the three year mark to continue their studies. With it being unsafe to return, Ms Sorokina sought other pathways to keep her dream alive.
That’s when Ms Sorokina found the Australian Catholic University’s refugee scholarship. Across Australia, there are 25 universities with dedicated scholarships for refugees, but Australian Catholic University’s Refugee offering is for students who are on temporary protection visas.
It covers full course fees for an undergraduate degree.
Ms Sorokina only had a month to apply for both the degree and the scholarship. After several interviews, she received both.
One semester into her Bachelor of Biomedical Science, Ms Sorokina said: “I’m so grateful that I have a chance to still chase my dreams and be granted with the support for my studies, which a lot of people could only dream about.”
Although she misses her home, her friends, and her life in Ukraine, Ms Sorokina knows home is where her family is, and she is so thankful that she didn’t have to leave her mother, grandmother and sister to continue her dreams of being a doctor.
“All I need in this life is to be with my family in a safe place to be genuinely happy.”
Lisette Drew 