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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (April 16, 1997)
Wednesday, April 16, 1997 4 ? y cJ] U / Former Ukrainian succeeding at Clackamas “I wasn’t sure if I should go to high school or get my GED. There were some people saying I Clackamas student Katya Antipin shouldn’t go to high school. ‘You was 16 years old when she left her almost graduated there so you home in Ukraine, Russia to make a should just study for your GED’ ,” journey that would affect her life for Antipin explained. Antipin began attending ever. Milwaukie High School in Decem In Ukraine, people went about their daily lives while the Antipin ber 1993. It was difficult for her; family packed a few belongings and but there was another Ukrainian girl boarded a plane for the United States. there, so she wasn’t alone. “I didn’t speak [any English]. I Antipin’s family came to Oregon could say a couple of words, looking for a better life. “My relatives lived here seven and maybe, and, maybe, if you talked a half years ago. After they moved real slow and used simple words. I we wrote letters to each other, and did have English in my school like my parents were thinking about do you have Spanish. I had it for two hours a week, but I didn’t pay to ing that [moving to the United States] too. There was nothing else they good attention to that. I had to go would be able to give us [children] to regular classes and listen to En there. They were not sure we would glish all the time, and I had to do be able to go to school after high my homework,” Antipin explained. “My counselor interpreted all of school,” Antipin said. my courses I had in Ukraine and In Russia, and other countries, not found out how many hours I had just anyone can attend college. “It’s not enough to pass entry and if they could give me credit for school,” Antipin explained. “To get those classes. So they took my sci into school you had to take a test. If ence and geography classes and you pass, you go; and if you don’t gave me credit for them,” she said. Time went by and Antipin earned [pass], you don’t go. It’s a little bit her diploma. different here I guess. You had to “ I didn’t know where to go after pay first, and it was an amount that that. I was afraid to continue be people usually couldn’t afford.” It was a long, detailed process for cause my English wasn’t perfect yet the Antipin family to move to Or and I still had to work on it. I didn’t know how to move on. Where egon. should I go? Many “When my relatives said people were saying that that they were able to get I should go to a four- the application for us and year school and get a ...that that they would be able to degree. I liked math, help us get here, we said - people are' so my math instructor ‘if it works out, we’ll go’. willing to suggested Lewis and So we started thinking Clark, ” said Antipin. about it, getting the infor kill each ' Antipin tried to mation and filling out the other just to get into Lewis and application. It was two Clark; but she had not get on a years before we got every taken her SAT and did thing done. It was like a plane and not have her other pa nightmare,”explained pers ready, so she move out. Antipin. missed the application “When we went to Mos deadline. cow for our interview, we She was still de didn’t have any relatives Katya Antipin termined to go to there. We stayed in a student school, so she met with church with those fold-up her counselor and beds. It was kind of bad. learned she was eli- It was two days and three gible for many scholarships. nights. When we went home we got Antipin was awarded two scholar the results that we were able to go,” ships: the Streeter Memorial Schol she said. Her family sold everything they arship and the Harold Taylor dis had except some clothes, dishes and trict scholarship. “At that point I knew that if Lewis pictures that they would need when and Clark didn’t work, I had an op they got to Oregon. “Anything we couldn’t sell or tion," she said. When Antipin found out she didn’t have time to sell, we gave to could work while a student, she our friends and relatives,” said went to an organization to help her Antipin. find a job. Her first job was at “In Moscow our plane was late. Not just two hours, but six or seven McDonalds and she worked there hours. When they finally announced for about a year. Antipin currently we were leaving, you couldn’t imag works at Consumers National Bank ine those people running and push in Beaverton. “I got that job with the help of ing to get on the plane. It was em some other Russian people. At the barrassing to me. I was ready to cry. bank it ’s more flexible. I work five It seems to me that it’s so hard there, hours a day three days a week. I that people are willing to kill each love my job. It’s a little far away other just to get on a plane and move but it’s worth it,” Antipin ex out,” Antipin said. On Oct. 22, 1993 Antipin’s family plained. Antipin’s father has been work arrived in Oregon. They stayed with ing at Phoenix Gold for two years. relatives for the first couple of months. Antipin was the personal in He speaks some English, but works terpreter for her parents and younger in a company where other Russian brother. She was needed especially people work so he is able to com municate in Russian. for medical appointments. Antipin’s mother was recently In Ukraine Antipin had only one laid off from her job, so she is cur- year left of high school. CHRISTINA MUELLER Feature Editor rently going to school to learn En glish and study for a two year pro fessional degree like accounting or bookkeeping. Liza, Antipin’s sister, is 12 years old and attends sixth grade at Whitcomb Elementary School in Milwaukie. Liza speaks English very well. Antipin says her sister is lucky because she regularly ice skates at Clackamas Town Center. In August 1995 Antipin’s brother Nicholas was born. He was a wel comed surprise. Antipin has noticed many differ ences between Russia and the United States, especially in the schools. JON ROBERTS / Clackamas Print “We don’t have separation be “I think I will continue to major tween elementary and high school, in math; and I think I want to add maybe some separation between Russian to it, to add more flexibil floors. For example: all of the stu ity. I’ve thought about teaching, dents between the first and the fifth maybe, or, if I do Russian, maybe grade would be on the first floor and interpreting. I don’t the third floor would want to think about a maybe be high school age. particular career. I think We go through all of it will be more clear to H'v just school with the same me when I finish people. You know every mazing school” Antipiri ex body in your class,” said •nr people plained. Antipin. Antipin has re could really She still writes letters to ceived a lot of help since her friends from school understand she has liyed in the and hopes to go back to United States. what I was Ukraine someday and visit “ I ’m really grate them. It’s too expensive going ful and thankful to for her friends to come through. people for all the help here. I’ve gotten here. I’m re “There is such a big gap ally thankful to the high between the poor and the school for all the help I Katya Antipin rich. There were some student got from the counselors people in my school who and instructors,” she said. could go to foreign coun “It’s just amazing tries on vacation, and there how people could really are some who could only- understand what I was going dream about it,” Antipin said. through. Just from listening they can At Clackamas, Antipin is currently understand. It’s difficult to explain taking 17 credits, working toward a everything, I guess, and it’s really degree in math. She hopes to trans important to me to have somebody fer to Lewis and Clark next year. to ask for advice,” Antipin said. Katya Antipin is a math major at Clackamas. She hopes to transfer to Lewis and Clark College next year. Student Profile •Who Katya Antipiri, former Rus- sian/Ukrainian citizen who is currently a student at Clackamas •What Recipient of the Streeter Memorial Scholarship and the Harold Taylor District Scholarship ■Don't forget" ■ ____________ R ■ ■ " ■ April 21- April 25 ■ " ■ ■ is ■ ■ ■ National ■ ■ Secretaries ■ Z Week J
