Episode Transcript
Hello, my name is Aziz and I'm the son of a divorced mother.
She is really my superhero.
That's why it's important for me to support women to share their uniqueness, their personalities,
perspectives and emotions about this world.
In these difficult times in human history, we need to bring the people of the world together.
And when we hear the voices of women, when we listen to real lives of women from other
countries, we connect our cultures without differences or stereotypes, and we get inspired
by their stories to live a better life.
That's what this podcast is all about.
My guest today is Darina Dmitryshina.
Darina is a Ukrainian girl studying management at Kuzminski University in Warsaw, Poland,
and a junior business analyst at Profitia Management Consultants.
Darina has eight years of professional swimming experience.
She had to stop it due to the other priorities such as studying at university.
She loves learning new languages. She currently speaks four languages fluently
English, Ukrainian, Russian and Polish and she is learning French at a B1 level.
She was on Erasmus in 2021-2022 in the UK at Aston University and she is a
coordinator of Kosminski International Society of Bounds section.
They help Erasmus students who come to
Kosminski University have their best experience there.
Darina, how are you today?
Hi, I'm pretty nice.
I have really inspired moods to take part in this interview.
So, yes, I'm fine.
I'm honored.
I'm happy and I'm excited about the energy you're bringing around here.
So let's begin discovering more and more about you.
And I'll begin with this.
Darina, if your friends and the people who really know you
could describe your personality,
what would they say about you?
I think that the first thing they would say
is that I'm super helpful
because all my friends tell that
even if I don't have time, opportunities,
I will find the possibility to help them, all of them.
And I think that it's really important, because I never expect from people to do something back.
I just want people around me to be happy, satisfied with their life.
Because if people around me are happy without no problems,
I can figure out my problems and feel the best way with them.
Thank you. And I'm curious, since you chose management,
Is this desire to make people around you happy a part of the management style you will have
when you become a manager or if you become a manager?
How is it related to the choice of studying management?
Okay, so basically I've chose management because I was always a leader in some school
projects.
Also, I was the leader of a school council.
So, I felt deep inside that management is something I really like.
I do like communicating with people and giving them tasks, because the thing that I'm helpful,
it's also helping me in my management style, because we have this stereotype that managers
should be very strict, etc., but it's not true.
Now at my uni we're learning so many types of management and like we really
should understand that manager should be empathic, should be helpful,
should be open to all the communications because we are living in
21st century and all people know what they want to do so basically when you
already like motivated to work for you so this communication like good
communication between you and your work can can just make the management style
better. I agree 100%. I love too that you mentioned that you are always a
leader. This podcast is for women to inspire their confidence for them to
go after their dreams as well as developing leadership qualities if they
To you, what is your advice to maybe even teenage girls or even women who have not really
developed their leadership skills on how to develop it?
And to you, what does it mean for you to be a woman who is also a leader?
Okay, so my piece of advice is participating in all possible projects you are interested
in.
Because until you start to participate in projects as a member, you wouldn't be a leader.
Because same for me.
First, for example, I'm now a coordinator of Kaziminski International Society,
but I used to be just a member who just help coordinators to organize events.
Now I'm like a leader of organizing those events.
So until I didn't enter
Kazminski International Alumni Society,
I wouldn't be the coordinator.
Same rule is for everybody.
And for me, being a leader,
it's really a huge responsibility
because I know that people do expect a lot
from their leader.
They expect support.
They expect to have wider information
they expect leader to solve all the problems because usually from my
experience people are panicking a lot when they don't feel like this support
of the leader so they should just realize that they're in a situation that
if something happened they would just call to the manager leader and this
person can give a really valuable piece of advice or solve the problem
like in five minutes.
Thank you, I love that very, very much.
And your suggestion for women to be more involved,
to take more responsibilities in every project they can.
Some might feel not so confident that they worry,
oh, what if I make a mistake and people judge me?
What if I'm not good enough?
Anything like that.
How did you go about your journey
of developing your confidence?
and how do you advise girls and women to do things to become confident?
Okay, so my piece of advice is always taking friends with you.
I think that almost everybody have their close friends who have the same interest with them.
So I remember that first at school I was super unconfident
and before I entered the school council
like I was struggling with expression in myself, with talking to people, I was like
really really not confident but once me and my friend we decided to enter the
student council both together because we were both scared but we knew that we're
gonna have somebody in this council already to help us to communicate you
So, I think that just entering some projects with your friends can be a cool option because
friends are always with us and if you are friends, probably you have the same interests.
So why not?
And to understand you even more, as a woman from Ukraine who has been through a lot
and your country is in a situation
where it's really fighting for its life
and in a very unfair and unjust and terrible invasion.
How was that day, February 24th for you?
How did you hear about the invasion?
I know that Ukraine has been in war since 2014
or even longer, some will say for hundreds of years,
but the invasion of February 24th, did you believe it?
Did you not believe it?
What did you do?
How were your emotions?
And how did your life change from that day till today?
Okay, so basically, even though I'm already studying
in Poland, I was studying in Poland already
for two years when the war started.
I was in Ukraine that day,
and I heard many rumors that war gonna start,
but my family was so skeptical to that, honestly.
We're living in our best emotions, so optimistic.
I believe we were scared because we had our backpacks packed already because Ukrainian
television was spreading the information that yes, we're not confident that the war
gonna start but you should have backpacks packed with all necessary stuff in case.
and my family was really skeptical to the fact that a war gonna start but we
luckily packed those backpacks and I was doing my visa to Poland like student
visa in Ukraine and day before the war started I received it so I booked the
flight on the next day and on I had a flight on 24th of February at 12 a.m.
at 12 pm i'm so sorry and we woke up with my family at 3 am hearing all the alarms
and we didn't understand at first what is going on we turned on the tv and we understood that the
war started and for real i couldn't believe that already like in one hour i received that my
closed so I was in a panicking mood I have my classes in three days and my
family and I were sucked in Ukraine also I've got my grandma and my place in
Ukraine after the surgery and all of these factors were just so crazy and in
my family we have a lot of women so my father he was brave enough and he
He made a decision that we should go to Poland because I was renting the flat here in Warsaw
So it was really obvious decision for us that we can live here for a while all together
so me my mom my sister and my grandma we packed our bags into the car and
went to the border immediately and
yeah my father decided that he won't go with us even though the first hours as far
as I remember men were allowed to exit but after the borders were closed but
even though my father anyway he refused he was like I'm a man I should stay
here and I'm so proud of him in this way so my mom she has a driving
license and a car so it wasn't a problem we just went to the border
together and the problem is that we stayed on the border for three days in a
queue without almost no food and no water it was really difficult we tried
to focus on my sister because she's only five so all the food we had all the
fruits all the water we like saved for her because she's a child and she can't
her willings you know so yes and in three days we were in Warsaw luckily and
when we came here it was night and I remember that I had such a tremor inside
of my body and I couldn't understand how it happened and yes. What do you see
as your future plans? For some people the war made them not really believe
they can plan for the future? Do you plan to start your own business in Europe and help Ukraine in
that way? Do you plan to return to Ukraine at some point or to go somewhere where there are even
more opportunities so that you can give back to your country? Or how do you think about yourself?
Are you thinking about future plans or do you prefer to act today, take action now and see
opportunities open up in the future. Of course I do have plans both long-term and
short-term and I'm trying to focus more on short-term plans because they're like
in one up to three months before me and I'm doing everything I'm doing my
best to to make them come true but of course I'm working with these
term plans on my long-term plans. I do love planning and I think that it's kind
of a really good characteristic of the manager to have a plan. Of course this
plan should be flexible because as we saw with the war, with the COVID,
everything can change in one second. So this plan can be like really
to the circumstances we face but I am not afraid to plan because I know that
those plans helped me to build the aim of my existing in this life you know
so basically now I'm finishing my third year of bachelor it's like finishing
year so I'm finishing study in Polish University and I plan to have a gap
year after that to work and develop my analyst characteristics, more tax skills probably
and in one year I would like to move to another European country to take my masters in finances
because I want to develop in the financial sphere as well because I found it interesting
me and after that I think that I would love to stay in Europe a European Union
let's say because for now I don't see really opportunity to work in Ukraine but
as soon as I realize that I can help some, like I can help to some extent to Ukraine,
of course I gonna help. And for example now I'm both working and studying and I'm helping the
army of Ukraine with donations and I think that it's obligatory for everybody who is working and
have at least some money because like a small amount of money won't change
anything for you but will change everything when it comes to the
million people scale. I agree 100% and Darina, you're a language lover. How
did this fascination with languages begin and why are languages and
So basically my language trip began from the childhood when I entered my school
because my school in my city was focused on languages
so since the 5th grade I guess we were studying French and English as additional languages
and I've understood that I'm really good in languages
because I didn't have a lot of problems with some grammatical stuff as some of
my classmates had for example and always I heard that I'm really good in
languages and all teachers brought me to take part into the Olympiads of my
city and country in foreign languages so I really understood that I'm I am
kind of good in approaching new languages. After that like in five years I've understood that I
want to move to another country, to Poland and I have this rule that if I'm living in foreign
countries I would love to speak their language in this country because it's important when I hear
foreigners who are trying to speak Ukrainian to me in Ukraine, I feel so pleased and so excited
that some people are learning my language because they are living in my country, so yeah,
that's why I've decided to learn Polish. So it took me two years to learn Polish before I moved
here and I speak fluently and by the way I'm studying in Polish, so I really believe I'm
in Polish. At the same time I was studying English as well and I've decided that I
need some practical skills more so I've decided to go to England on Erasmus and
it was really the boom when I came there with thoughts that I really do
speak good English and five minutes after I've understood that I don't
English at all like their accent their manner of speaking their speed was so
enormous that like I couldn't get even the half of the sentence it sounds like
Chinese for me like for real and yes after living there for a half of the
year I really believe that I became fluent and I was really thankful for
experience and after I've understood that I should learn more European
languages and as I've started to learn French at school already I just realized
that I should develop my knowledges moreover I have friends from France
and I can practice the language with them so it's kind of nice for me I
I love how introspective you are, how self-aware you are, and I want to
understand that a bit more. We live in a time where too many people are on TikTok
or social media or Instagram Reels. They don't spend time to understand
themselves. So two things. How do you deal with social media? Do you only open
it in specific times in the day? And also to relate this to women. Some
women lose their confidence when they see girls on Instagram
that they think are more beautiful than them.
So how do you keep your confidence even in a time
where there are many Photoshopped girls
who might make most women and girls feel not so beautiful?
Okay, I should be honest that I had this problem
with those girls when I was looking at their pictures.
I was just dreaming to have this body or this face
this shiny hair and I couldn't understand how they can have it and I'm
trying to do my best and I can't but soon I realized that all of us we are
just special the way we are and a hundred percent we will find the people
who will appreciate that so once I found my society and my friends my
don't know I woke up without makeup and etc they do really find me attractive
beautiful interesting person all these scares just went away and I really want
everybody to understand that they should just feel comfortable the way
they are maybe being skinny is not comfortable because I know that the
models for example they do face some illnesses and it's not really a good
thing like I love enjoying food I really love food so why don't go into Italy
and eat this pizza and just don't care because you're just beautiful the way
you are you won't be super skinny but you would be happy because you ate this
pizza in Napoli, in Italy. Why not?
Thank you so much, Darina.
And to understand even more something related
to your leadership roles currently,
a lot of Ukrainian girls or women in general, et cetera,
need to sometimes or choose to go
to another country to study.
So it's difficult because they leave their families,
they don't know if they're able to make real good new friends, maybe they're a bit shy, a bit
intimidated. So for you, how did you adapt to Poland? And tell me a bit more about your work
helping Erasmus exchange students have a better experience. Maybe it can inspire girls and women
who are going on Erasmus or in general going to study abroad so that they build their best
experience ever.
now I don't face any problems with my problem solution and the more you live
the more problems you're gonna face and the more difficult problems you're gonna
face and if you are able to solve those little problems when you are 16
when you move to another country you can solve all the problems when you are
20 and you are in another country. My parents were helping me a lot by
mental support but of course all visas documents stuff was on my shoulders and I really do
appreciate this experience because like I think that all Ukrainians gonna agree that
living abroad is kind of difficult in a bureaucracy way because you should make a lot
documents, visas, to approve all of these documents, to translate all of these
documents and it's kind of really difficult so since I'm 16 I opened more
than five visas by my own without my parents help for real like I just
enter the websites of the governments, search for the documents needed,
asked for the documents needed and I really understand that those
experience was so valuable because for example
if now I'm facing this problem I'm gonna figure it out
in five days and for example I had the problem
when I should have gone to UK for my Erasmus
my first visa application got refused like
one week before me going to England and it was a big shock for me
I was like mentally destroyed, I thought that I won't make this dream come true, I thought
that I won't make it and luckily my parents supported me a lot, they were like ok, calm
down you have now 3 hours to figure out what are we gonna do, are you refusing from your
dream or are you searching for new ways to open your visa?
So I've searched for all necessary documents which I lacked and I applied for visa and
got my visa in 10 days after I was a bit late for Erasmus like in I think five
days late for Erasmus but I still went there and I lived my experience there
and I'm so thankful to my parents to support me in this so and for Erasmus
when I went to Erasmus in England in Aston University we didn't really have
a lot of guys helping us so for ukrainian it was kind of difficult to face all the problems in uk
plus covid time so like for real i've got many difficulties also i've got covid so i needed this
support and when i come back to my university i found that we have the group of students who
helping to adapt to find the flat to find some doctors to other Erasmus
students and I was like yes I want to do that I want other people experience not
to be that much difficult as mine was and plus I think that I'm kinda fluent
in Polish in Poland as a society let's say so yeah I've decided to help
people and
I'm really happy about this decision because
for example this year I have three French mates who came here and
Yes, I was suggesting them to find to help to find flats for them because it's really difficult because some of owners
of the flats don't speak
English they speak Polish only
Also, if they struggle with finding some
public transport I'm always here to answer their phones also we're organizing
events for them because of course all Erasmus students want to party and
probably they don't know yet which clubs are good which
are not so we're organizing even those parties experience for them and I
think that for the girls it's really important because all Erasmus
students speak different languages, and coming back to the previous topic of languages, this
experience with Erasmus Student helped me a lot to improve my French and English. And
I think that girls who are really eager to have all the contacts in this world and
to develop their language and knowledge, they should go for it.
Thank you so much, Darina. It was my privilege and my honor to share your perspective,
to hear your voice, to share everything there is about you and there is always
more. Thank you for this and for participating in this project. Thanks a
lot. It was really amazing experience and I'm so happy I participated in
Rare Girls podcast.
