Veronika Khariv came to America when she was four years old.   Her family left their homeland – the Ukraine – hoping America would offer them a better life.  They also wanted their daughters – Veronika and her older sister – to be educated in America.

The family, at first, struggled.  They lived with a relative in Lacey Township.  They had left the Ukraine with scant possessions stuffed into a few suitcases.

In the Ukraine, Veronika’s mother had a good job, working as a chief health inspector.  But here in America, since she couldn’t speak English, her mother couldn’t work in her field.  She worked instead as a cleaning woman and as a caretaker for elderly people.   In her free time, she took classes at a community college.  And in the evenings, no matter how tired she was, she helped her daughters with their homework.

“My mother didn’t want us to struggle the way she was struggling,” recalled Veronika.  “So she always put education first.  I and my sister couldn’t do anything until our homework was done -- and done perfectly.”

Veronika adopted her mother’s strong work ethic.  She grew into a diligent student and a voracious reader who excelled in elementary and high school.  After high school, she was accepted at NJIT.  Now a senior here, she continues to excel.  She has a double major in chemistry and biology, two rigorous majors, yet she has a 3.5 grade point average.  She’s done research with a prominent professor who presented the results of their research during an academic conference in Taiwan.  She has a scholarship from NJIT, another from Exxon Mobil -- the company gives scholarships to women who excel in chemistry -- and last week during University Convocation, NJIT awarded her the Peter Small Scholarship, an honor given annually to a student who has worked hard to overcome obstacles.

In the below interview, Veronika discusses the obstacles that she, and her family, had to overcome.  She discusses her majors, her research and her family’s odyssey from the Ukraine to America.   

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The Peter Small Scholarship honors a student who has worked hard to overcome obstacles. What are the biggest obstacles you had to overcome?
We came here with very little.   I had to learn English and adapt to a new culture.  I was lucky to have my mother. She had grown up on a farm in the Ukraine and her family was poor.  But after high school there she moved to the city and got an education and had a good career in the Ukraine.  And when we came to America she kept on working hard; I learned how to work hard from her.  My sister, who is seven years older, took care of me when I a child. She was like a second mom to me. My stepfather also helped me with my studies.  He was an excellent father, who was always there for me.   I’m very grateful to him. Without my family I wouldn’t have achieved what I have.  My mother and stepfather owned a bagel store for some years, and they later sold it.   My mother is retired now and my stepfather works as a stockbroker.  They worked really hard for all that they have now.  

What motivates you to work to study so hard?
In the Ukraine, our family wasn’t safe.  Mobs would intimidate people, especially business people, and the streets weren’t safe. Also the economy wasn’t good.   My family came here so that we could be safe and free to build better lives.  I saw what my mother went through and knew how hard she worked.  So I just followed her example.  She always took I and my sister to the library and we’d come home with crates of books.  I learned to read for pleasure, which helped me in school. And I always loved the sciences.  

You have a double major in chemistry and biology? Why?
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study when I entered NJIT.  But I was always a science girl. With science, there is always a right answer.  It’s straightforward; no opinion is involved.  In high school, I took all AP science classes. So by having a double major I get to take core science classes, even for my electives.  And it’s a nice mix, because whereas chemistry is more math and numbers, biology is more theory and reading.  Studying two sciences will also open up a lot of career opportunities for me.

What do you plan to do after you graduate?
I’d like to go to graduate school for nutrition and food science.  I’d like to work as a registered dietician either for a health center or a large company such as Kashi.  I’m looking into graduate schools now.  This career relates to my two majors, since biology is the understanding of the human body and chemistry relates to how food is metabolized in the body.

You worked this summer as an intern for the Food Trust in Philadelphia. Can you talk about the work you did there?
The Food Trust teaches low-income communities about nutrition and healthy diets and helps them to eat better in a number of ways.   People in these communities often eat poorly and poor diet is linked to heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and other diet-related diseases.  I worked with children in the neighborhood, educating them about nutrition.  I used games and food tastings to teach them about healthy food.  I made sure they got a lot of exercise, too, in the recreation center.  I dislike it when I see children eating poorly.  Fast food is cheap and sadly in low-income neighborhoods residents don’t have healthy choices. All they have are the local bodegas.  So I worked with the corner stores to try to convince the owners to sell healthier options.  I liked working with children and, since I want to work as a dietician, this was a great internship for me.    

You’ve worked as an ambassador for both the Admissions Office and the Women’s Center.  Did you enjoy those jobs?
Ambassadors in the Admissions Office give tours to high school students.  I enjoy talking to young students since I, as a senior, can address their questions.  And as an ambassador for the Women’s Center, I help first-year women students adjust to college life.  I’m kind of like a mentor to them. The Women’s Center has a great lounge and a kitchen and computers for students.  It’s a great place for female students to go to socialize or study.  It’s definitely a place that female students should use: they are welcomed there with open arms.

You’ve also done important research for a chemistry professor.  Can you describe that research?     
My project focused on how to convert methane, a major component of natural gas. The conversion of methane is called methane coupling, a challenging problem of great practical importance.  Liquefied products of methane coupling could easily be transported and used as fuel or valuable feedstock for chemical industries.  I helped Professor Lev Krasnoperov write a paper on the research, and he presented that paper at a scientific conference in Taiwan.  It was a great honor to work with Professor Krasnoperov, who is a mentor to me, on this important project.

How do you balance your studies and your extracurricular activity?
I’m very organized; I’m a planner. I have a planner book that I carry with me; it’s like my bible. I write myself post it notes constantly.  And I always leave time for homework.  I also work at NJIT in the Provost’s office, as an administrative office assistant.  I function better when I have a busy schedule.  I live on campus in Laurel Hall, which makes it easy for me to get to class and to my job.

How did you find NJIT?
When I was a senior at Absegami High School, a classmate of mine was accepted on early decision to NJIT.  He was impressed with NJIT and said I should definitely check it out.  So I attended an NJIT Open House and talked to professors in the Chemistry Department and they convinced me that NJIT was the university for me.

And were they right?
No other university would have given me the opportunities NJIT has.  NJIT is a small, intimate campus and if you’re a good student, so many good things will open up for you.  You’re professors will know who you are.  I, for instance, did an independent research project with a great professor.  I worked as an ambassador for two offices and I helped form the student chapter of the American Chemical Society.  I work as administrative assistant for the NJIT Provost’s Office.  I’m grateful to NJIT for all it’s offered me, and I think that, with my two majors my other accomplished here, I have a bright future ahead.  

(By Robert Florida, University Web Services)