Melanie Semcesen was unlike other kids in her classes. Growing up in a Ukrainian household with both parents from Ukraine, she learned how to speak Ukrainian before English. Shortly after being born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Melanie moved with her family to Toronto, Canada, which Mel has referred to as “Little Ukraine” because of the city’s prevalence of Ukrainians and vast immigration rates from the area. 

Whenever Mel was around her family or in Ukrainian pre-school, there was never much of a need for her to speak English. When her family moved back from Canada to Charlotte, she faced many challenges because of the different ways that she spoke. Mel often found her trailing off into Ukraine when she spoke English, which caused people to make fun of her and mock how she spoke. Mel took speech classes and could eventually become more confident when she spoke. 

The foods that she would bring to lunch would look different from her peers and she would often get bullied for having “gross” and different foods for lunch.

For a long time Mel resented her parents for raising so differently from her friends. It was not until she had to do a middle school project on her family history that she learned the sacrifices that it took for her family to make it from Ukraine to Canada. Through conversation with her parents and grandparents, Mel could separate her bullied experiences as a kid from the commitment and dedication of the Ukraine people.

Today Mel is studying to be a speech-language pathologist at the University of North Carolina to help people who were once like her. She intends to go to graduate school and has been a tutor for English, French, and Ukrainian.

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” For them, that’s home no matter where they are. And they will be super proud to be from there. They’re very resilient.”

— Melanie Semcesen

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“Growing Up Ukrainian” Short Film

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