The first year of college is stressful enough for students, but for UC San Diego freshman Rina Pecherskaya, keeping her mind on her cognitive science classes isn’t easy these days with the war raging in Ukraine.
“I’m not quite sure about my future, the future of my family," said Pecherskays while taking a study break on campus.
Rina’s family lives in Rostov-On-Don, Russia, about 30 miles away from where bombs are dropping in Ukraine, where she also has family ties.
"For us it's surreal because my grandma went to college in Ukraine. She spoke fluent Ukraine. Taught me Ukraine I have my uncle in Kyiv, for me it's weird it's happening. I can't process it ."
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
The war in Ukraine broke out while the 18-year-old Russian native was at UC San Diego. Via social media and messages a friend in Lviv relayed the horrors of war.
As shelling continued, the United States ratcheted up sanctions on Russia and Rina started feeling the effects when her parents tried sending her money.
Especially when Russia was cut off from SWIFT, the secure system that connects banks in more than 200 countries.
“There are restrictions on how much money they can transfer to me, so I can’t pay my tuition in full. I have to ask for late payments,” Rina said, adding it’s stressful.
As the war rages on, President Joe Biden lashed out at Russia's president during a speech in Poland Saturday, saying he can't stay in power.
Rina says though she loves her country, she and her Russian friends don’t agree with the government unleashing war on their neighbor.
