HELENA — Carroll College is in the third year of its Global Student Refugee Initiative, helping students from across the world who are fleeing their home countries.
"I was used to it. Now, I'm looking at the pictures, and I'm thinking, 'How can a human exist in those circumstances? How can you plan for the future? How can you go shop for groceries if you know you might not even come back to your house,'" said Asiye Abliatipova.
She and her family are originally from Cremia but moved to Mykolaiv after the war between Ukraine and Russia started in 2014 when she was eleven.
Abliatipova said, "My dad is in the military, so we left because he pledged allegiance to the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian army. He could not stay in the place that was occupied by Russia."
She has been in Helena for one year and is studying international relations at Carroll through their Global Student Refugee Initiative (GSRI).
The program is in its third year and has helped ten students; seven have graduated from Carroll, and three are currently enrolled.
Refugee students do not apply for the program. Their tuition, travel, and housing come from outside sponsorships, which Carroll cannot name for security purposes.
Most of the GSRI students come from Ukraine and Ethiopia.
"In the back of their mind, they're wondering what's happening at home. Most of our students don't have a worry like that," said Shannon Ackeret, the director of global learning at Carroll College.
MTN asked Abliatipova how she felt since President Donald Trump passed an executive order suspending the United States Refugee Admissions Program.
She said, "When I think of an Afghan woman who's fleeing from the Taliban regime, who got her visa done, who was thinking she is finally getting to a safe place - when I think of her, not having the opportunity to get on that plane – I can't think of my problems in the same way that I thought of them before."
Carroll says they are "monitoring the recent executive actions taken by the new administration in Washington D.C. and their potential impact on our refugee students. We remain committed to supporting our students as we navigate these developments together, ensuring they have the resources and guidance needed to understand and adapt to any potential impacts. Our priority is to foster a community of care and provide whatever support is needed during this time."
