When Russia launched its second invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022, Anastasiya Zubaryeva ‘22 immediately thought of the people in her hometown of Mikolai, about 40 miles north of the Black Sea. Zubaryeva immigrated to the United States with her family in 2007 when she was just 10 years old, settling in Traverse City, Mich. She built a new life there, cultivating an interest in science and medicine and eventually finding her way to Le Moyne, where she earned a master’s degree in physician assistant studies. She was busy and fulfilled. Still, the many friends and relatives she had in Ukraine were never far from her mind. From the earliest days of the war, Zubaryeva knew she had to do whatever she could to help those impacted by it, even from 4,800 miles away. The idea of giving back was first instilled in her by her family and reinforced during her time on the Heights.
“Le Moyne taught me to pursue the greater good,” she says.
In concert with a humanitarian organization known as Volunteer in UA, Zubaryeva began collecting clothing, personal hygiene products and nonperishable food for those whose lives had been upended by the war. She has done so for nearly two years now, from her home in Northern Michigan. As she has undertaken this work, the Le Moyne alumna has resolved to stay positive, network with others, and ask questions, particularly about where and how she can be the most useful. It has paid dividends. To take but one example, Zubaryeva collected whatever medical supplies she could and shipped them to a friend who worked at a Ukrainian hospital that had been overwhelmed in the midst of the war. She was not sure how much they would be able to use, but they accepted everything – happily.
More recently, Zubaryeva had a chance to do something she had not done since 2019 – to visit Ukraine. She spent nearly three weeks there, delivering necessities in person, reconnecting with loved ones, and seeing the impact of the war up close. There were moments when it was unsettling. Bombing had left many people in the region with “almost nothing,” she recalled. While Mikolai itself had been liberated and conditions there had in Zubaryeva’s words “calmed,” there were still alarms in the area that would sound between 10 and 12 times per day. That proved to be jarring, especially in her first few days there. However, Zubaryeva found that there were far more moments when being back in Ukraine was extremely rewarding. For example, when she was able to provide people with some of the basics, like a warm blanket, that helped them feel a little bit more comfortable. For Zubaryeva, it brought to mind Saint Ignatius’ exhortation, “to give and not to count the cost.”
“Le Moyne prepared me not to give up easily, to be independent and determined, and creative in addressing challenges,” she said. “It taught me to pursue the greater good.”
Anastasiya Zubaryeva is a physician assistant at Digestive Health Associates of Northern Michigan, where she works primarily with patients with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and peptic ulcer disease. Traverse City has a large Ukrainian American community. Many of Zubaryeva's patients have sought her out because of her skills as a practitioner - and because she is fluent in Ukrainian and Russian as well as English.