Teenage Ukrainian Refugee Enrolled at Palisades High School After Fleeing the Country

By Dolores Quintana

When Russian President Vladimir Putin made the decision to attack Ukraine in February in an attempt to conquer the country, no one really knew how long this war would last and what would happen to the people of Ukraine. 

Illia Ishchenko-Leshchtnskyi is one of the many Ukrainian residents who have had to flee Kyiv and come to the United States. He left without his family and was smuggled to Romania by bus as reported by the Palisadian Post

Ishchenko-Leshchtnskyi said, as quoted by the Palisadian Post, “My dad called [me] and said, ‘A bus is waiting for you.’ It was a hard drive, uncomfortable … but I did it. I was in the capital city of Ukraine, Kyiv. It was my birth city. All my childhood was in this city … I was in school, I had a lot of friends and now, I miss my friends.”

Ishchenko-Leshchtnskyi added, as quoted by the Palisadian Post, “a lot of people knew … Putin will start a war … but nobody wanted to believe.”

After arriving in Romania, he flew to Los Angeles to stay with his aunt and uncle Olena and Eugene Jang. Eugene Jang said, as quoted by the Palisadian Post, “When he got here, it was just a relief that he was safe. It wasn’t difficult for us to say, ‘Yes, you can obviously come here.’” when he arrived in Los Angeles on March 10. 

Once here, Jang started to look for a school for his nephew to attend to continue his schooling. Jang is a tutor and one of his clients, Lisa Woods, offered to help Jang find a school for Illia. Her children go to Palisades High School, so she was already acquainted with the school. 

Lisa Woods said, as quoted by the Palisadian Post, “When everything started in Ukraine, my kids and Eugene started talking about it because his wife is Ukrainian and … her whole family is in Ukraine. They started talking about it and throughout their sessions, they learned more and … found out that his nephew was able to escape and eventually made it here … Eugene started talking to me about getting him into schools and my first call was to Nick Melvoin.”

Nick Melvoin, Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member, said as quoted by the Palisadian Post, “I’m glad that Lisa reached out to my office, and of course, she had my full support to help get Illia enrolled at Pali, but really she deserves all the credit for making this happen,” LAUSD Board Member Nick Melvoin said to the Post. “That was really the spirit of the resolution, to make sure that refugee families get connected and welcomed into a community that will help this new place feel a little more like a home.”

Woods reached out to Melvoin and several schools but said that Palisades High School Principal Pamela Magee “went above and beyond.”

Magee said, as quoted by the Palisadian Post, “We weren’t totally sure what applied because of his situation, he’s not with his traditional family and he’s been separated, clearly this is a highly unusual situation. But we were able to do research with the district and the charter school division and our own legal counsel … Everyone came to the same conclusion that this is an essence of a situation … and [under these] circumstances, a school like Pali can say, ‘We will enroll you immediately.“We were able to quickly enroll him, he was able to get started right away and we’re excited that all of this worked out.”

Ishchenko-Leshchtnskyi started attending Palisades High School on Monday, March 28 and frequently gets a ride from Woods to school when she drives her children to Pali High. He says that he “likes the school” and that the other students are “always helping” as quoted by the Palisadian Post. 

Lisa Woods and her husband started a GoFundMe on behalf of Ishchenko-Leshchtnskyi and his friends who were forced to flee to New York City and Miami and the Ukrainian refugees who are still in the in other areas of the world. 

Woods added, as quoted by the Palisadian Post, “Everybody has been incredible and the sense of community has been extremely rewarding on a personal level. What I hear from so many people is that they feel so hopeless and helpless and want to do something but don’t know what. This is … someone that is in our own community that we can have some sort of positive impact on … I’m just so glad that between all the players involved, we were able to make this happen.”

Other members of Ishchenko-Leshchtnskyi’s have also managed to flee in the last month and his mother and father will meet Illia in Greece a few weeks from now. His father still returns to Kyiv despite the danger and moves back and forth from Kyiv when he can after making sure that his family members are safe. 

Eugene Jang said, as quoted by the Palisadian Post,“We’re hoping they can come back and make residence here in the United States, and that [Ishchenko-Leshchtnskyi] can come back for school in the fall.”

Related Posts

Parts of Palisades Reopen as Containment Efforts Continue

January 17, 2025

January 17, 2025

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department announced the repopulation of several zones, marking a significant step in the recovery Parts...

L.A. Officials Field Heated Questions from Distressed Palisades Residents at Town Hall

January 17, 2025

January 17, 2025

Officials detail fire containment efforts, home access timelines, and future wildfire prevention plans as residents express frustration over delays By...

SMPD Identify Suspect in Fatal Broadway Shooting, But Search Continues

January 17, 2025

January 17, 2025

Authorities Continue to Review Witness Statements and Surveillance Footage as Part of Their Ongoing Investigation Authorities have identified a suspect...

Bay Area Fish House Makes L.A. Debut in Santa Monica

January 16, 2025

January 16, 2025

Pacific Catch Brings Sustainable Seafood and Pacific Rim Flavors to Santa Monica in Its First LA-Area Location Pacific Catch West...

Pali Charter High Seeks Temporary Campus and Donations After Devastating Fires

January 15, 2025

January 15, 2025

The school is calling on local businesses, organizations, and individuals to help secure a temporary space Palisades Charter High School...

$12M Relief Fund Established for LA Artists Affected by Wildfires

January 15, 2025

January 15, 2025

The Initiative Is Spearheaded by the J. Paul Getty Trust, With Backing From the Mohn Art Collective, East West Bank,...

Former SWAT Officer Who Braved Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting Loses Everything in Palisades Fire

January 15, 2025

January 15, 2025

Jeff Garris, a retired Pittsburgh SWAT officer celebrated for his heroism during the Tree of Life synagogue shooting, faces a...

(Video) At Vistamar School – Discover the way high school should be

January 15, 2025

January 15, 2025

Students achieve remarkable outcomes with our strong academics, small classes, andpersonalized approach. Our graduates don’t just attend college—they excel. Vistamar’sunique...

LAFD Didn’t Deploy Available Firefighters or Water-Carrying Engines Despite Warnings: REPORT

January 14, 2025

January 14, 2025

Fire Chief Kristin Crowley Defended the Department’s Strategy, Citing the Need to Balance Wildfire Readiness With Increased Citywide 911 Calls...

Westside Businesses Transform Into Distribution Hubs and Shelters Amid Devastating Fire

January 14, 2025

January 14, 2025

Local businesses and volunteers transform spaces into shelters, donation hubs, and meal services, stepping up to support evacuees and frontline...

Marina del Rey Veterinarian Shelters Nearly 40 Pets Amid Devastating Fire: Report

January 14, 2025

January 14, 2025

Annie Harvilicz has turned her Marina del Rey animal hospital into a haven for displaced pets As the Palisades Fire...

Map Shows Where Palisades Homes Were Destroyed or Spared With Images

January 14, 2025

January 14, 2025

Over 5,300 structures have been destroyed with 12,000 threatened by the Palisades Fire, which has already charred 23,713 acres and...

Man Impersonating Firefighter Arrested, Details Emerge on Those Killed in Palisades Fire

January 13, 2025

January 13, 2025

As the Palisades and Eaton fires continue to devastate Southern California, officials have confirmed a combined death toll of 24...

LAUSD and SMMUSD Schools Resume Operations as Conditions Improve, With Exceptions in Fire-Affected Zones

January 13, 2025

January 13, 2025

Several Campuses in High-Impact Areas Remain Closed; Precautions in Effect at LAUSD Los Angeles Unified will reopen most schools and...

Cost of New Mar Vista Complex Cut by $1.25M, Now Going for $10.75M

January 13, 2025

January 13, 2025

Completed in 2024, the four-story contemporary building features a rooftop deck with panoramic views of the city, including the skyline...