27-02-2025
UW-Oshkosh student honors fallen Ukrainian peers through powerful exhibit
OSHKOSH, Wis. (WFRV) – A UW-Oshkosh student from Ukraine showcased days of hard work in a presentation exhibit honoring Ukrainian college students who have died three years into the Russian invasion.
Vladyslav Plyaka, who goes by Vlad, was determined to remember Ukrainian students killed in the war—some of whom were his closest friends.
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Plyaka, a sophomore from Rivne, Ukraine, tragically learned that his friend, Kostiantyn Yuzviuk, had been killed while serving as a drone operator in Ukraine's military. Determined to keep his friend's story from fading into the background, Plyaka spearheaded a powerful event at UW-Oshkosh on Wednesday.
The exhibit featured two photo displays: one focusing on Yuzviuk's life on the front lines and another titled Unissued Diplomas, which honors 40 Ukrainian college students who lost their lives in the war. Attendees also watched video podcasts highlighting the stories of Yuzviuk, Plyaka, and Iryna Levada, a UW-Eau Claire student from Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.
Plyaka recounted Yuzviuk's lifelong fight for Ukraine, from his activism during the 2013 Revolution of Dignity to his service as a soldier in the 117th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Yuzviuk died on July 18, 2024, from injuries sustained in combat in the Zaporizhzhia region.
'This project is an incredible example of student-driven civic engagement,' said Mike Lueder, director of UW-Oshkosh's Center for Civic and Community Engagement. 'Vlad and Kostiantyn represent the truest forms of civic and community engagement.'
For Plyaka, the war is deeply personal. On the morning of Feb. 24, 2022, he awoke in his family home in Rivne to find his father packing emergency supplies.
'I asked him one simple question, 'War?' And he just said, 'War.' That's when I knew everything had changed,' Plyaka recalled.
Plyaka arrived in the United States on a student visa in August 2022 and has not been able to return to Ukraine since, as there is no guarantee he could reenter the U.S.
'It is so hard to be in a safe place and see how my friends, relatives, and my nation are being killed by missile and drone attacks,' he said.
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After earning his degree, Plyaka plans to return to Ukraine to work as an investigative journalist.
'In 20 years, I want to be able to look my children in the eye and tell them that I did everything I could to ensure that they live in a peaceful and prosperous Ukraine.'
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