Iryna’s story: Finding a safe space at LBS
Prior to starting my MBA journey at London Business School, I was living in Kyiv, Ukraine. Working in investment banking, I provided advice for the Ukrainian government and corporates, and I was also fortunate enough to work with several other governments of developing and emerging countries.
In February 2022, a few days after the start of the war, lots of people made the decision to flee from the more dangerous central and eastern parts of Ukraine to the western region. After I made it to the west, I realised that I have advantages being a woman, including freedom of movement. I travelled to Poland to build a humanitarian and medical aid centre, which basically collected all the aid from Europe and from the US, transferred it across the border, and distributed valuable resources across Ukraine when the supply chains were completely broken. This was a critical time to be engaged in the distribution of humanitarian aid and I was responsible for the daily operations of the centre, including logistics, warehouse management, customs, donor relations and reporting.
While I was developing that centre from the ground up, I was also thinking about what to do with the next stage of my career because I still wanted to realise myself professionally. It seemed like a very good time to pursue the MBA because, when you are in the face of such uncertainty, one of the best things you could do is to invest in your education for the benefit of yourself and your country.
Running a distribution centre is the kind of a job where you can’t just disappear for days, so I tried to carve out a couple of hours every day to study for my GMAT. Balancing these commitments was quite intensive.
When I found out that I had been accepted to LBS with a scholarship I was extremely happy and relieved that at least there was some financial certainty about the world. For me, my scholarship is so important because I didn’t have access to normal loans. When you come from a country like Ukraine, there are a lot of risks included in the system. Many loan providers perceive lending to certain nationalities as super risky and the rates become even higher. It wasn’t feasible for me to take out a loan. Receiving a scholarship gave me a feeling of safety; I felt as though I could relax a little bit about my future and focus on how I can make the most of my MBA experience.
From the very beginning, I felt as though I was in a safe space at LBS. Originally, I was a little bit scared that people would not understand me and why some days may be worse for me than for others. However, my study group said, “If you need any help, just tell us and we’ll be happy just to listen. Perhaps we cannot imagine what you have been through or understand what you are feeling, but we are here just to help you.” Finding meaningful connections with people is especially important for anyone trying to feel comfortable in a new environment. For me, finding community in London felt even more important, as I live simultaneously for two countries. During my studies, I have found a common language and have become friends with so many people. We are part of a supportive community.
For me, I think philanthropy is an example of kindness. It is perhaps the most important quality a person or society can have. I had this idea in mind long before the war, but after the war began it became even more clear that I’m part of a society where we remain resilient only because of kindness.
Ukrainian people have always been very philanthropic by nature; we have always had a strong culture of giving. During the war, this has become more apparent. People have donated what they can. An average person cannot buy a fighter jet, but when we collectively gave, we were able to support those on the frontline, and I know every Ukrainian felt so proud that they personally contributed to the defence effort.
“The same principle can be applied to the LBS Fund. There are many people, but they all donate to an important cause; education and opportunities for people early in their careers.”
I am very driven by philanthropic giving. I am currently the UK Fundraising Lead for the Superhumans Centre in the UK and Europe. It’s a medical centre that provides prosthetics, rehabilitation, reconstructive surgeries and psychological help to people who were injured because of the war. It’s a great honour for me to help the Superhumans Centre to the extent I can while I’m here in the UK.
Investment banking and my professional career are important to me as I believe that, once you build a professional career, you have much more power over projects you care about. Ultimately, I want to build a charitable foundation that makes a real social contribution. I hope that the donors that have invested in me and my education at LBS will be proud of what my impact on the world will be in the future.
