![NEW CHALLENGE, NEW TEAM MEMBERS: Every season, VEX creates a new game that robotics team members are faced with and have to build a robot to compete in. This year’s game forces students to create a robot that is able to stack rings onto mobile goals in order to score points. The change in games each season is something that robotics teacher Audrea Moyers appreciates.
“One of the things that I like about VEX is that they have a new problem to solve every year,” she said. ¨Even though the equipment’s the same, they have to analyze the game, and they have to come up with solutions that are unique that year. They are using their knowledge from prior years, but they have to kind of redesign a problem.”
As returning teams were faced a new game, some new teams and members had to adapt to a uncommon playing field and game.
“Three of our four teams were competing for the first time this year, and they had very different experiences match to match, so I think they learned a lot,¨ she said. ¨It’s hard just watching a video online to know how it’s actually going to be in person, so they all learned a lot about what gameplay is like, how to work with an alliance partner [and] how to adapt during the day to changes.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_9283-1-1200x800.jpg)
Living in Kyiv, Ukraine, junior Anastasiia Musiiaka’s childhood dream was to attend college in the U.S. as an international student. At the age of 4, after some encouragement from her mom, Musiiaka started learning English, her third language after Ukrainian and Russian. What she didn’t know at the time was that her dream of studying in the U.S. would arrive unexpectedly during her first year of high school.
In early 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Musiiaka’s hometown, Kyiv, was under attack. As the war escalated, more and more of her friends began to leave for safer living conditions. Eventually, so did Musiiaka. Her mom found a job in Austin and, after living in Ukraine for six months after the war started, she and her mom began the journey to Texas.
Due to the war, there were no planes leaving Kyiv, so they took a bus to Warsaw, Poland. They took a flight from there to London and then flew to Austin.
A week later, it was Musiiaka’s first day at McCallum.
“I didn’t have a lot of time to process everything,” she said. “First I had no friends, and it was scary because everything was new. English is my third language, so I was like ‘What is going on here?’”
Many friend groups had already formed, which made it difficult for her to meet new people. In addition, there was a slight language barrier. But, as time went on, she began making friends and finding a sense of community.
“For most people who move here, it’s a language barrier that is like their main problem,” she said. “I got used to it really fast because I love listening. Compared to my freshman year when I first came and now, I have developed a lot, and I found a lot of new friends. It’s so fun for me right now.”
As a junior, Anastasiia has been able to pursue her love of art. She helped create a fashion magazine club with two of her friends. She also draws and enjoys dance which she does outside of school.
“I’m an art person and fashion person,” she said. “I think it started in my childhood because my grandma taught me how to sew. Then a year ago, I was looking for what I actually want to do in my life, and I decided that fashion is kind of what I belong to.”
Since moving here in 2022, she’s noticed a drastic change in how the media is covering the war that continues in Ukraine. It seems, to her, that it has been pushed aside.
“A lot of people just forgot about us, but it’s still going and people get killed,” she said. “Everyone talks about Israel and Gaza but nobody talks about Ukraine anymore because it’s not like the hot topic you know.”
It may feel as though much of the world has forgotten about the war in Ukraine, but Musiiaka can’t, especially when her dad still lives there.
“When it’s war time men are not allowed to leave Ukraine,” she said. “That’s like their role because a lot of them are taken to the front line.”
Along with her dad, other friends and family, including her grandmother, have stayed in Ukraine. Calling and Facetime help make the distance between them seem smaller, and Musiiaka has had the chance to go back to Ukraine to visit.
“I go there sometimes during the summertime and spend time with my friends so that’s what connects me,” Musiiaka said.
This story was originally published on The Shield Online on February 17, 2025.
