If there’s one thing freshman Valerie Brukhis learned from her two weeks of research in Ukraine, it’s that students can change the world.

Inspired and angered by the corrupt Ukrainian government, the country’s students flocked to Independence Square in Kiev to make their voices heard on Nov. 30, 2013.

During this protest, the Berkut, a division of Ukrainian riot police, clashed with protesters, resulting in numerous beatings. These acts of violence were interpreted by some Ukrainian citizens as a direct assault on their freedom of speech and resulted in the Dec. 1 Euromaidan riots, where thousands came together in response to the Berkut’s violence against the peaceful protesters.

This fight for fundamental rights inspired Brukhis, a native of Ukraine, to apply for St. Thomas’ Young Scholars Research Grant. Her project, titled “Students Matter: The Role of Young Adults in Ukraine’s Bid for Social Justice and Democracy During the Euromaidan Revolution of 2013-2014,” is a way of explaining how the Euromaidan worked as a catalyst for students to begin fighting for their rights.

“The entire revolution started with young college students sick of corruption and propaganda,” Brukhis said. “It proved to me that students could change the world because … students have this hope and belief that they can change the world.”

Brukhis received the grant allowing her to travel to Ukraine for research in March, and she worked closely with St. Thomas professors Paul Gavrilyuk, Renee Buhr and Steven Hoffman to prepare for her trip.

Before leaving for Ukraine in early April, Brukhis read for about 40 hours per week in preparation. She said she learned that reading about a topic is never quite the same as experiencing it first hand.

“When I got there it was like listening to them bleed,” Brukhis said. “They were all my age, they were my peers, and they were the core passion of this movement.”

Brukhis lived in western Ukraine until she was 6 years old and said she has always felt a special connection with her homeland. When political turmoil began to unfold in the country, she felt an obligation to return home and tell the stories of the students who were standing up for their rights.

“I wanted to not only understand their stories but make them applicable to students here,” Brukhis said. “When I understand their stories, I understand the potential future of the Ukraine.”

Brukhis was inspired by seeing young people so politically active and involved.

“I think they realized that if we don’t change this, no one will,” Brukhis said. “They realized they didn’t need to be a part of the European Union to instigate changes.”

Bruhkis spent 14 days in Ukraine and hopes to go back in July. To her, the research has only just begun, and it is her mission to give the students of Ukraine a voice.

“They are a people with so much voice, but they’re not being heard,” Brukhis said. “I’ll make them heard.”

Whitney Oachs can be reached at oach5325@stthomas.edu.