Hosted by Ukrainian UToledo student Ira Snahoshchenko, the “Unissued Diplomas” exhibition shares stories of 40 Ukrainian students whose lives were taken during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Their photos and biographies are showcased on the second floor of the library until Mar. 31.
The exhibition opened Mar. 11, with speeches from UT professors Dr. Barry Jackisch and Dr. Michael Voss regarding the history of Ukraine, and Alona Matchenko, a recent UT law school graduate who founded Toledo Helps Ukraine. The opening reception included a screening of “20 Days in Mariupol,” an Academy Award Winning documentary by AP journalist Mystyslav Chernov.
“When I first heard about the exhibition, I really wanted to post it on YouTube though, because it really meant a lot to me as a student from Ukraine, seeing other students who I could have been in the place of struggling like that," Snahoshchenko said, adding that it "was something that I did not want to leave unheard.”
With this exhibition, Snahoshchenko hopes to reach people who may not think about what it means to be a student from Ukraine. In the beginning of Russia’s invasion in February 2022, there was a lot of media coverage that has since declined. As Snahoshchenko is a person who is affected by the war in an “indirect” way, she feels that the decline of media coverage is disheartening.
“Bringing my first home to my second home sounded like an amazing idea,” Snahoshchenko said of her decision to organize the event.
When she saw via social media that Unissued Diplomas was opening applications for new locations to host the traveling nationwide exhibition, “I decided that it was going to be my chance to host it at University of Toledo,” Snahoshchenko said.