As a child, little Olenka could read aloud the content of television programs for hours, because she dreamed of being a television announcer. When she grew up Olena fell in love with language and literature lessons. She decided to enter a pedagogical university at the faculty of Ukrainian philology. After graduating, she worked in this field for only a few years, as soon she found another branch; journalism.

Olena was growing her career in journalism for many years before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, alongside writing articles for Ukrainian websites. Yet, by the time she ended up fleeing to Prague, where she arrived in March 2022, Olena found another job for herself. 

"Psychologists often recommend people, who are at a crossroads in their lives and don’t know what to do next, to remember their hobbies, to ask themselves more often; ‘What do I love?’. And to do what brings pleasure. One of my greatest pleasures in life is reading. I have loved books ever since I was a child. They saved me through times of loneliness and times of trouble. They save me now. And not only morally, but also materially. In the Czech Republic, I started selling books for Ukrainians who now live here," says Olena.

Olena hopes that the war at home will eventually end and she will be able to return to Ukraine with her daughters. She doesn’t have grand for the future, but every day Olena takes simple yet important steps for herself and her family.

"I deal with children, their education. I continue to study Czech, catch up on my English. War has shown me that you need to invest in yourself, in your knowledge. Then, no matter where the wind of change takes you, you will not disappear," says Olena.