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came to Syracuse University as a with an urgent purpose: to learn all she could about helping veterans return to civilian life and bring that knowledge home to war-torn Ukraine.

Pohorielova is an associate professor and head of the Department of Pedagogy, Foreign Philology and Translation at in , near the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine War. Her journey to Syracuse began after she heard a high-level Ukrainian official observe that is about to become a city of veterans.

The comment was a turning point. Pohorielova realized that, when the war ends, hundreds of thousands of veterans will need support transitioning to civilian life: finding jobs, housing and educational pathways and, hopefully, a society aware of and responsive to their unique psychological needs. Yet Pohorielova also knew her country was far from ready to provide that help. “I felt like I didn’t know anything about veterans. I had no clue. And I felt like other establishments weren’t ready for the influx of veterans, either,” she says.

The next day, she learned about the Fulbright Visiting Scholar program and applied. To her surprise, she became just the second person from her university to receive a Fulbright in 30 years.

Right Place, Right Time

The Fulbright program matches host institutions with a scholar’s research goals, making Syracuse University, with its emphasis on veterans, a natural fit. Pohorielova’s visit is being hosted through the (CHB), drawing on the expertise and engagement of the (IVMF), the (OVMA), the (SOE), and colleagues at the . Among those who facilitated Pohorielova’s residency was IVMF founder and University Chancellor-elect .

“[This] is one of the best places in the U.S. to observe veteran re-entry services. Practices here have been validated. We need to learn, borrow, start them and adjust American practices to existing Ukrainian realities,” Pohorielova says.

Since her arrival, Pohorielova has attended monthly CHB seminars, worked closely with faculty sponsors , professor of psychology and CHB director; and , SOE faculty director of online programs and strategic initiatives, associate teaching professor in the School of Social Work and CHB associate director. She also engaged with faculty, staff, doctoral students and researchers across campus.

“Their contribution to my research is incredible,” she says of her sponsors. The broader campus culture has been welcoming, too. “Every person I meet here is trying to support me and give me the information I need.”

Facilitating the Transition

Ukrainian soldiers face the same reintegration challenges as American veterans: psychological health risks, substance use, financial instability and difficulty transitioning back to civilian life. But for Ukrainian veterans who are returning to communities still under threat, with shattered economies and disrupted families, those risks may be even more acute, Pohorielova says.

Reintegrating also involves other obstacles, including funding, cultural resistance and a general distrust of mental health services, which is a legacy of Soviet-era political repression. Ukraine’s military culture, which prizes toughness and stigmatizes psychological struggles as weakness, presents another hurdle, Pohorielova says.

Pohorielova believes Ukrainian educational institutions can help facilitate veterans’ transition from military service to civilian life. At the same time, they can leverage veterans’ leadership, experience and a strong sense of purpose, qualities that can make them active contributors to postwar recovery efforts in Ukraine.

“Investing in veterans’ wellbeing, education and vocational pathways supports not only individual reintegration but also broader social and economic stability,” she says.

Insights from Pohorielova’s research at Syracuse form the basis of her recovery action plan, “Veteran Reintegration Ecosystem for Ukrainian Universities.” The scalable, locally grounded program can be implemented within existing institutions, she believes. The plan’s three pillars are institutional capacity and coordination; behavioral health and wellbeing; and workforce and economic integration.

Components include:

• Clear coordination and referral pathways to help veterans navigate academic and support services
• Faculty and staff training to strengthen the university’s ability to support veteran students
• Behavioral health awareness and referral pathways
• Flexible online and hybrid learning options
• Short-course retraining, microcredentials and entrepreneurship pathways aligned with workforce needs
• Structured employer and community partnerships to support job placement, entrepreneurship and business development

Pohorielova and her 13-year-old daughter, who came with her to the U.S. and attends school locally, have been here since February and will return to Ukraine this summer. By then, Pohorielova will be ready to present her fully developed framework to her university’s leadership as a ready-to-go strategy, and she hopes to see its immediate adoption.

Success would fulfill her dream of helping her country, her university and her community, and ensure that veterans will have proven systems in place to support their return.

“Following a dream is a good thing,” she says. “Once you succeed, you will get to a new level. That’s what happened to me. I didn’t expect it, but I’m very happy to be here.”