Hannah Krainik, a multimedia specialist for St. Ambrose University was born and raised in Ukraine. Her mother was an actor, immersing Hanna and her sister in film and theater from a young age.
“I have been passionate about cinematography and photography, and my mom was an actress. I think it’s like why I have a big passion,” Hanna said.
Hanna went on to study at Kiew Theatre and Cinema University to obtain her degree in cinematography. Not too long after, her entire life was uprooted.
“In 2022 when war started, me, my son, my husband and our cat, we evacuated to Poland and some family that we never met before from DeWitt, they invited us to their house. It’s like a special program for Ukrainians, United for Ukraine,” Hanna said.
After fleeing her home country and winding up in the Quad Cities area, Hanna began looking for a job, but with her limited knowledge of English, it was difficult at first.
I worked in hotels, in grocery stores, and at the same time I tried to find a job for me, for my passion,” she stated.
All the while, her Ukrainian friends and family were still back in war-torn Ukraine.
“I feel like now, it’s like all Ukrainians are my family. It’s a very…painful feeling,” Hanna said. “It’s not fair to us, we just want to be free. If Ukraine gives up, it’s no more Ukraine.”
Hanna’s way of coping is through art.
“When I came to the USA I started painting again. I think it’s because I need to express my feelings. All this…pain that I have.”
She ended her interview with SAUtv by reminding Americans to be aware of the global situation and to stay educated on what is happening in other countries.
“We need to understand what happens in the world, in other countries. It’s what I want to say.”
