Courage, Belonging, and Building a Life Far From Home

What does it take to leave everything familiar behind and begin again in a country you’ve never visited?

In this episode of Moving Forward: Conversations on Culture, Identity, Healing, and Hope, Linda welcomes Alina Zabihailo, a recent graduate of Alfred University whose journey is a powerful story of courage, resilience, gratitude, and possibility.

Alina arrived in the United States from Ukraine on the very day she began college at Alfred University. Over the next four years, she not only found a sense of belonging—she became deeply woven into the life of the university.

She graduated Magna Cum Laude with degrees in Business Administration, Data Analytics, and Music, along with a minor in Marketing. During her time at Alfred, she competed as a varsity tennis player, founded the Ukrainian Students Association and TEDxAlfred University, served as a student ambassador, helped lead the campus radio station, studied abroad in London, performed as a musician, and found countless ways to create opportunities for others.

But this conversation goes far beyond her accomplishments.

Alina shares what it was like to build a new life thousands of miles from her family while her homeland endured war, how her Ukrainian identity continues to shape her, and the people and experiences that helped Alfred become a second home.

Linda and Alina also explore the meaning of resilience, gratitude, leadership, and responsibility—and why some of the most important qualities we carry into the future can never be measured on a résumé.

As Alina prepares for her next chapter at Johns Hopkins University, where she will pursue graduate studies in Business Analytics and Artificial Intelligence as a Dean’s Scholarship recipient, she reflects on how quickly life can change and what she would tell the young woman who stepped off that plane four years ago.

In this conversation:

• Beginning again in a country you’ve never visited

• How culture and home shape identity

• Finding belonging far from family

• Pursuing your dreams while carrying concern for a country at war

• Leadership as service and creating opportunities for others

• The people who shape us along the way

• Gratitude, resilience, and staying grounded

• Why human qualities matter even more in an age of artificial intelligence

• What it means to move forward when the path ahead is uncertain

Alina’s story is a reminder that courage doesn’t always mean knowing exactly where the road will lead. Sometimes it means taking the first step, trusting that you will find your way, and remaining open to the people and opportunities that meet you along the journey.

Every person has a story. And every story has the power to encourage someone else.

Until next time...keep moving forward.

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Music by Maksym_Dudchyk from Pixabay

Podcast produced by Ury Gonzalez