In 2022, Ukrainian student, Anastasiia Shovkoplias was studying abroad when Russia invaded her home country. Three years later, she's graduating from London Met with a BA in Journalism.
Date: 28 July 2025
In 2022, Anastasiia Shovkoplias, a Ukrainian teenager, was studying programming in Slovakia, on an exchange from her university in Ukraine, when Russia invaded her home country. Three years later, she’s graduating with honours in Journalism from London Met and will start an MA in Marketing in September and has published her very own Heavy Metal music magazine.
Anastasiia’s dreams of becoming a writer began during the pandemic, spending a lot of time alone at home and doing some freelance writing. She had always loved Heavy Metal, and how the music spoke of real human experience, and the darker sides of life. It’s the human-side that speaks to her most. “I’m interested in human-stories, the history as well as the present, I like exploring people’s lives – what’s inspired them, who they are and what they’ve been through,” she said.
No stranger to challenges herself, Anastasiia was 19 when the war in Ukraine broke out. Studying abroad at the time, she made the difficult but necessary decision to travel to the border between Slovakia and Ukraine to meet her mum, who had left their home in Kyiv to escape the bombings.
“There were refugee camps and charities supporting Ukrainians with necessities and buses to get to other countries. We got a free bus to a small town in Germany, where we stayed for two months, and then my mum found the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme in the UK so were able to go there. From May to September 2022, we lived with a host family in Southampton, where I was able to get some work experience at the Daily Echo newspaper,” Anastasiia said.
Equipped with a passion for writing, work experience and a goal to pursue Journalism at university, Anastasiia started to search online for ‘Best Journalism courses in the UK’ and London Met came up. She said: “It was late August so admissions were closed for a lot of courses, and I was worried I wouldn’t get a place anywhere. Thankfully Clearing was open so I applied and got a place to study BA (Hons) in Journalism at London Met.”
Going to university can be daunting for anyone, but being an international student adds another challenge. Anastassia said it took some time to get used to life in the UK, saying “At my Ukrainian university, there were only Ukrainians, in London and at London Met, there were so many people from different countries and different backgrounds, I wasn’t used to it and a bit socially awkward at first. I don’t think the pandemic helped, being on my own a lot, and then moving to another country out of nowhere. Culture, mentality and finding that same grounding was a lot.”
But eventually, Anastasiia built up her confidence and made some great friends from all over the world, “I started talking to people, they were really patient with me, and we clicked. I met a girl from Switzerland, from Nepal, and my best friend is from Norway,” she said.
One of the highlights for Anastasiia was her Journalism course and the support of teaching staff, “Wendy and Joel, and other lecturers gave me a lot of creative freedom and didn’t limit my ideas. I’m quite an independent person so it was great to lead with my ideas and know that if I needed help, support was there.
“Tutors really went above and beyond, giving freedom, feedback and sacrificing their time for students. The university provided me with opportunities, connections and confidence, and ultimately, I wouldn’t be where I am now without it.”
And the feeling is mutual; her tutors have nothing but praise for her resilience and passion. Associate Professor Dr Wendy Sloane, Course Leader for BA Journalism and Principal Lecturer in Creative Technologies and Digital Media, said: "Anastasiia arrived in the UK from Ukraine not really knowing what to expect - but she adapted well and very quickly found her niche.
“In her last year, she excelled in what she enjoys most – chasing her love of music. For her final project, she created a magazine called UnderCore, and it’s the sum of everything she adores - music, musicians, writing, business and graphic design. She flew to several countries to interview musicians and even secured a contract to have the final product on UK newsstands. Anastasiia set an example for others to follow - that no dream is out of reach, when you give it everything you have."
Speaking of her magazine, Anastasiia said: “It’s my baby. The idea came out of being at a gig one day and being lucky enough to interview the band I was seeing. It all went from there. I developed a print magazine, gathered interviews from bands around Europe and sourced the distribution and publishing myself, all before I finished my degree. I feel like it’s a mix of luck, motivation and my love of music which has brought me here and I’m excited to see what happens next.”
For her magazine, Anastasiia received an A grade and won the award for Best Project in Creative Technologies and Digital Media.
After graduation, Anastasiia will begin a Master’s in Marketing at London Met, inspired by her grandparents, who still live in Ukraine, and who she visited during winter 2024 to celebrate the new year.
“New Year is like Christmas in Ukraine – we eat food, exchange gifts and sing carols. There were ruined buildings and bombs going off, but after a while you get used to it, it might sound crazy, but you just get on with things”, she said.
Ukraine will always be home, but London is where Anastasiia will be for now. She said: “I miss my family and Kyiv, but London’s my base right now. I’m starting my Master’s in September, and it’ll be interesting to see what it’s like. University is my second home and its bittersweet to graduate and finish my Bachelor’s as it’s given me so much. Hopefully my Master’s will do the same. I feel less like a child now and more like an adult, and that’s a bit scary!”
With all that Anastasiia’s experienced in her life so far, she’s proved being scared and doing it anyway can get you a long way, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for her.
