Thousands of miles from Ukraine, where war continues to reshape daily life, Zoia Shumak walks the halls of the College of DuPage with a steady smile.

A Ukrainian student initially part of the Community College Initiative (CCI), Shumak’s plans took a turn following an escalation in the Russo-Ukrainian War that forced her to stay in the United States. Since then, she has been working at COD as a tutor for the Motion Picture Television (MPTV) department where, despite overseas conflict and concern for family, she maintains an infectious joy and continually spreads an inviting presence to her community.

“I want to be part of things that are greater than I am,” Shumak said. “And if I am already part of those things as a head or as a participant, I am there to invite others to share it with me.”

​​Since arriving in the United States in 2021, Shumak has built a life at COD as a film student and tutor. But as war continues in her home country, she now prepares to take the lessons she’s learned here and return to Ukraine in June—not just as a filmmaker, but as someone committed to helping rebuild her community.

“Of course, the perfect scenario would be to keep producing and directing short films, but if I can’t do that, even having a role adjacent to that would make me content,” Shumak stated. “[But] the bigger, not career related, plan is to be there to help my country stand. And to be there to help my country recover and support my home as much as I can.”

Shumak first came to COD from Ukraine in the Fall 2021 semester as an international student to study media literacy and journalism as a part of the CCI. The program provided scholarships of one academic year for international students to participate and study under this community college educational system—a system which does not exist in Ukraine, Shumak said. As a part of this initiative, the students were also encouraged to take minor classes to help “broaden their perspectives,” Shumak stated, in which she would go on to take the MPTV courses Cinematography and Directing.

“The point was to stay in the United States for 10 months, go home in May 2022 and [not] return for at least two years,” Shumak stated. “I [was] supposed to spend those two years at home to help develop my country and share the knowledge I’ve gained through the program, which I was totally fine with.” 

However, on Feb. 24, 2022, during Shumak’s supposed final semester at COD, Russia began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. With no word from any representative of the CCI, the Ukrainian students were left in a state of uncertainty regarding what would happen to them or their families.

“That was a crazy couple weeks in the beginning. When you couldn’t believe what’s happening, and you didn’t really sleep well and just read the news and checked in with your family to see if they were alive. So safe to say, it was pretty surreal,” Shumak said.

In May 2022, only two weeks before they were to return home, the Ukrainian students finally received an update regarding the end of their program from government representatives. It was only then Shumak realized she would be staying in the United States as the CCI allowed for them to stay for an additional year at COD. What would happen after that, however, remained unclear.

“We were told that we have to figure it out on our own, or be ready to figure it out on our own,” Shumak said. “And that could mean trying to apply to universities here to get a visa, trying to find a third country to fly to, marrying or any other thing.”

Having at least an additional year at COD, Shumak reflected upon her experiences with MPTV courses she took for her minor. It was during the Spring 2022 semester, around the same time in which Russia began their invasion of Ukraine, Shumak took a Directing course as one of her minor classes. At the time, that particular class seemed to be the only thing that kept her interested in her education as everything was unraveling in her home country.

“If [directing] is able to keep me sane in [a] time like this, it probably means something to me. I then just decided to switch my major to film production when I realized that I’m staying in this country for longer. And since then, that’s what I’ve been doing,” Shumak said.

Shumak said that among the things that inspire her, art and humor help keep her uplifted and optimistic. She understands that although she cannot change the world, she can help affect anything within her proximity. To Shumak, art and humor possess a level of expression beyond what people are limited to communicate through language.

With an extensive understanding of art and a newfound dedication to filmmaking, Shumak’s presence caught the attention of the students and faculty in the department. This includes her directing professor John Rangel, filmmaker and owner of Parkside Films, whose classes Shumak would later go on to tutor for.

“When Zoia was in class, she was fully dedicated beyond the classroom, really dedicated to the work and learning how to make films. And that was really contagious,” Rangel said. “The group that she came into the program with had a lot of really great personalities, and they sort of followed her lead to a degree where they were really into it. One thing about Zoia’s presence is it’s not just inspiring. It can be a little intimidating, because she really gives a shit.”

In addition to Rangel, Shumak tutors for film editor Kristin Webster’s classes. Beyond leading classrooms, the two have developed a firm professional partnership in filmmaking with them often collaborating in each other’s productions—with Shumak having produced Webster’s film, “In the Waiting Line,” and Webster editing Shumak’s film “The Right Key.” Webster would also go on to work as Assistant Director on Shumak’s latest film, “A Friend,” which recently wrapped production on March 28. 

“I don’t think that I’ve come across a lot of people like Zoia that have the qualities that you need to do that job,” Webster said. “She is special, and I hope [that] she knows she is.”

Shumak and Webster’s strongest partnership is found in their friendship—something Webster will sorely miss after Shumak returns to Ukraine after the Spring 2026 semester.

“I am heartbroken that Zoia is going home because she’s become a very good friend to me,” Webster said. “It’s going to be very weird to not have Zoia around. It’s going to be hard for me…I do feel like I’m losing part of my family or part of my family is leaving me.”

Throughout Shumak’s time at MPTV, Webster and Rangel have not only admired her growth as a filmmaker but also how her presence has impacted the department as a whole. They cite her as a critical community member, bringing an international perspective that COD sorely needed. Above all, Shumak’s greatest strength, in the eyes of her community, is her ability to love.

“There is something about Zoia’s outlook on life – you can define it [as] respect. Zoia respects life—all life—and that means that she doesn’t care who people are. She loves them as herself, and I do think that has shaped her,” Webster said.

Shumak possesses a cheerful, curious perspective as a community member. She has an open-mindedness to learn and understand others’ cultural backgrounds—a perspective unlike much of the cynicism and individualism that has grown to consume the United States culturally, stated Webster. Love is among the biggest foundations to life for Shumak. To her, the love she has stems from her faith and how she was raised as a person. But she also notes the idea that if there is a good that exists, it is the product of love.

“If you think about if people had love for each other, alone and nothing else, just that love would be enough for them to not want to do things that they’re doing to each other that [is] creating the mess we’re in,” Shumak said. “They don’t carry the love in them, and that’s the reason why they are creating the mess. If I lose that, I’m just going to join them, and I don’t want that.”

Shumak’s optimism and hope alone have been enough to inspire any community she finds herself in. As she previously said, Shumak wants to be a part of things greater than her. The legacy she leaves behind is proof of it. Although she will be returning to Ukraine in June to support her family, Shumak lives eternally in the MPTV department through the ways she has inspired people.

“Zoia changed lives. Quite literally. Just speaking for myself, Zoia really challenged me,” Rangel said. “It’s just in who she is and how we interacted. She made me a much better teacher. She saw things in my teaching I couldn’t see, and she was really interested in helping me with that in a way.”

As a bit of advice, Shumak shared with me how she is able to love the world and follow the Golden Rule in life despite how much of a mess things around us may seem.

“It’s overwhelming to love the world because there’s clearly not much to love right now. Or so it seems,” Shumak said. “But start small. Love is a habit, and love is a choice as any other habit that we do or try to learn. And once you start focusing on things that are in proximity to you, you will start exercising your love towards other things. And when time comes—when more overwhelming things enter your circle of love—instead of closing, it expands.”