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Cortney Copeland posted an articleRead this story of a Ukraine RPCV who just won her first ever campaign for public office see moreEmily Essi Bersani served as a Community Development Volunteer in southwestern Ukraine from 2017 to 2019. She had earned her Master’s of Public Administration in 2014 and was eager to work in local government, which she did as part of an amalgamated community implementing Ukraine’s decentralization reform. Her time in Ukraine was one of the motivators to then get involved in local government back home. In 2023, Emily won a competitive runoff race for the position of Onondaga County Clerk. We recently interviewed her about the challenges and rewards of Peace Corps service, running for public office, and how building relationships and counting small wins are vital for both.
Adapting to Village Life in Ukraine
Emily lived in many different parts of the world prior to serving in Ukraine: the US, Canada, Sweden, South Africa - but never lived in a small town before being assigned to a tiny village in Chernivetska Oblast. She estimates the population of her village and the neighboring ones - combined - amounted to around 3,000 people. “It was pretty different than what I’m used to, but it was amazing!”
Emily was already somewhat familiar with the tenets of Peace Corps’ Community Development work in Ukraine, and had imagined that her public administration and nonprofit background might land her in a city. “I had such a narrow view of the needs of Ukraine. I figured they would need help in their government in the cities, or in an NGO. But in the amalgamated villages and towns, there was a lot more opportunity for me to be involved in everything at the local government level. Looking back, I’m grateful.”
“The point of Peace Corps is you’re supposed to be uncomfortable. You’re supposed to be immersing yourself in this culture that is not familiar to you.”
Staff of the Village Council - and a bouquet in Ukrainian colors for Emily
Emily recalls being met with a lot of excitement upon moving to her site. Her village was one of five that formed an amalgamated community under Ukraine’s decentralization reform. Her counterpart worked in local government, and during service Emily got to help implement participatory budgeting that enabled community members to vote on a portion of public expenditures. Even though she hadn’t envisioned living in a village, it was precisely the kind of work that had excited her about coming to Ukraine.
In addition to working in local government, Emily took on several meaningful side projects, including Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) events focused on empowering women and girls, projects with the town library, and even a TedX conference in the nearest city. Due to close-of-service timelines, Emily actually had to close service and then go back to site to finish the conference!
The TedX conference was a collective effort of Ukrainian volunteers and PCVs
Camaraderie and Crossing Cultures
Two of the things that most helped Emily adjust to living and working in a radically unfamiliar setting were the camaraderie of fellow Peace Corps Volunteers, and her lifelong experience engaging across cultures in her bicultural Arab American family.
Of her fellow Volunteers, Emily says: “Our cohort was so important. I could not have done my service without that network and community.” Emily often reached out to fellow Volunteers when feeling discouraged or frustrated, and it was those conversations that helped her learn to focus on small wins and take things day by day. “I want to say thank you to all our fellow RPCVs. You can do something like Peace Corps and then make friends forever, even if you live on different sides of the world.”
Emily grew up having connections on different sides of the world. Her grandmother is Syrian, and her father moved to the US from Jordan.
“My father is a brown man from the Middle East. My mother is a white woman. When my mom’s side and my dad’s side of the family mingle - they’re very different in culture. I learned how to adapt and be comfortable in different surroundings. I think having this mixed background helps me adapt in new environments. I think it helped me build relationships in Ukraine.”
One of the projects Emily worked on with other volunteers was a Model UN camp
While Emily’s background helped equip her for serving in Ukraine, her time there also informed her perspective on the experiences of family members, including those displaced by conflict.
“I had family in Syria - some went to Germany, some went to Canada. It was hard for them. Just the way I had to adapt in a small village, they had to adapt coming from their small city to a different country.” This experience of displacement is one now shared by many Ukrainians, and Emily hopes to build more connections in the growing Ukrainian community of central New York.
From International Development to Local Government
After multiple experiences living and working overseas, Emily is now back home in Syracuse, New York. “In all these times abroad, I felt I missed my own community and wanted to impact my own community. It was such a strong feeling, I never thought I would have that. I wanted to travel all over the place. I can probably give Ukraine all of the credit. Watching these Ukrainians feel so strongly about their own community and work so hard to make it better for themselves and for everybody around them made me realize I wanted to do the same here at home.”
I can probably give Ukraine all of the credit. Watching these Ukrainians feel so strongly about their own community and work so hard to make it better for themselves and for everybody around them made me realize I wanted to do the same here at home.
Emily initially returned to nonprofit work upon getting back to the US, but recently, she took a leap and ran for public office. She was working on affordable housing during the pandemic when, “There was a shift. I realized, I have such opinions about our local government and I have ideas of how it can be better. Why don’t I put my actions where my mouth is?” She had long had an interest in local government anyway, which was heightened by her hands-on work in Ukraine.
In 2023, Emily unseated an incumbent to win the election for Onondaga County Clerk in a tight race that went to a runoff. She won by just 291 votes out of 90,000, flipping a seat that hadn’t changed party control since 1986. “It was a surprise to a lot of people that I was able to win!” Campaigning required humility, the ability to be vulnerable, and openness to receiving a lot of feedback - but Emily was motivated by her belief in the importance of community engagement with local government. “Our local governments are extremely important and impactful. Whether I won or not, something I really wanted to focus on, moving forward and always, is encouraging people to know who their local candidates are, and what policies and programs they’re implementing.”
While County Clerk is an administrative rather than policy-focused position, Emily is excited to learn the inner workings of government and bring new perspectives into county leadership. Her approach to elected office echoes what she learned from Peace Corps service: take things one day at a time; and count the small wins, because they are important.
Emily is now in office as Onondaga County Clerk!
Taking on Challenges: “It’s Okay to be Overwhelmed”
Cultivating resilience, building community, and counting small wins are especially important in challenging times like the present, with Ukraine facing an escalating and violent military invasion by Russia while US domestic politics roil. “It doesn’t matter which corner you look at, there’s something to feel overwhelmed by right now,” Emily shares. “Sometimes it’s okay - it’s okay to be overwhelmed.”
Emily admits she faces extra challenges as an elected official who is a woman, relatively young, and Arab American. “There is a stigma around the Arab side. I’m often in conversations with people who don’t know that about me, and I hear derogatory comments. It just happened last week.” Given both her own family experience and the current situation of many Ukrainians, Emily hopes to build more empathy and understanding for migrants and refugees in the US. “When we’re talking about people fleeing their homes and leaving because of war - whatever they feel they need to leave - people don’t want to leave their home out of trauma. I think that’s important to help people in the US understand.”
If we continue to call on our networks, I think we can make a big change.
In these trying times, Emily finds hope in witnessing the growth and impact of up-and-coming leaders, both in the US and Ukraine. She stays in touch with many of her Ukrainian colleagues from service, including one who successfully applied to become director of the local library and whose candidacy Emily supported with a recommendation letter. She stays in touch with her RPCV network, and this emphasis on community helps inform her own work as a public leader. “I remind myself - I won this race because I was able to motivate people to get out and vote, and use their voice. If we continue to call on our networks, I think we can make a big change.”
Whether you’re contemplating joining the Peace Corps, running for public office, or taking some other step beyond your comfort zone, Emily’s advice is: “Do it! The outcome might not be what you envisioned, but you’ll never know if you don’t try.”
Would you like to share your story of service? Let us know by filling out our Peacing It Together storytelling form
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Elena Krajeski posted an articleThe journey of long-time Peace Corps Ukraine staffer, Zhanna Hyrtsenko see more
Zhanna Hrytsenko’s Journey at Peace Corps Ukraine
By Michael Andrews, RPCV Response Ukraine
There is twist of irony in one of Zhanna Hrytsenko’s favorite memories. Zhanna was teaching high school English and German in Cherkasy when she learned that Peace Corps was recruiting Language and Cultural Facilitators (LCFs). She asked her boss for time off to attend the interview. “Even if I get the job,” Zhanna explained to her boss, “it will just be temporary.”
What happened next defined 24 years of Zhanna’s life. “I still remember what she said like it was yesterday, Zhanna recounts with her signature demure laugh. “Nothing is more stable than something that is temporary, my boss said. If you go to the interview, they will take you.”
The boss’ prophesy came true. In 1996, Zhanna left her teaching job to become a temporary LCF for Peace Corps Ukraine. She has had a permanent job ever since, today leading Peace Corps Ukraine’s Response Program and Monitoring and Evaluation.
As Zhanna attests and every Peace Corps volunteer knows, there are profound possibilities in temporary assignments. Peace Corps host country staff and volunteers know well the challenges of learning new skills, constantly working with new people and adapting to unfamiliar situations. These are hallmarks of Peace Corps service and the continuous revelations of Zhanna’s career.
Listening to Zhanna describe her life’s journey is witnessing a tableau of volunteers’ many loves about Ukraine. Her demeanor is an alloy of village-forged sensibilities, academic acumen and strident determination propelled by joy. She was born in Glodosy, a village in Kirovohradska Oblast five hours south of Kyiv on highway E95. Along with being a beautiful village with a library that houses an impressive collection of historical artifacts, Glodosy is famous for a trove of seventh century gold and silver buried with an ancient chieftain. The “Glodosy Hoard,” as it is called, was discovered in 1961 by Vladimir Chukhriy while he was helping dig in his mother’s beet field. The government paid Vladimir’s father 200 rubles for the priceless find, which he used to buy a radio for Vladimir. Today the treasure is displayed in a Kyiv jewelry museum.
Traditions buried in the black soil of Ukraine’s landscape also live in the hearts of Ukrainian people. Zhanna attributes her deep cultural roots to her babusya, who at 92 still lives in Glodosy.
“Everything I know about Ukrainian heritage and our culture I learned from her,” Zhanna says. “She taught me folk songs. She knows more than 100. She has a talent to write poems and I gained that from her. I have some poetry in my bag. She taught me embroidery and to how to weave. In winter during school holidays, we always did that together. I can do that so I can always survive.”
Survival is inextricably woven into the Ukrainian experience. Zhanna’s family was not immune from struggles. Her grandfather fought in World War II and lost an eye to a grenade explosion when he was 19. He carried shrapnel wounds his entire life. He died at 72. During the war, Zhanna’s granny narrowly escaped “Ostrabeiter,” forced labor relocation to Germany when a sympathetic village leader deliberately lowered her birthdate on official documents. Zhanna’s sister Angela, who has a Ph.D. in history, has written a book documenting the family lore.
But hardship seldom pre-empts joy. “They had a really difficult life,” Zhanna says, “but my granny was a multi-talented person. She played the balalaika and guitar. Grandpa played the accordion and flute. Our family was always, singing, playing and dancing.”
Such resiliency and flexibility is reflected in Zhanna’s ascent to leadership at Peace Corps Ukraine. She meets challenges with curiosity and determination to learn. She has worked for six country directors. Zhanna’s winding professional path led from those first days of temporary employment, to LCF Coordinator, Community Development Coordinator, Regional Manager, TEFL Coordinator, finally landing as the leader of Peace Corps Response. Response came to Ukraine in 2011, added to the country’s portfolio in strategic planning by Tom Ross, then Director of Programming and Training and Country Director, Doug Teschner. Zhanna tackled the Monitoring and Evaluation effort at the same time. It was another temporary assignment that has lasted nine years.
Leading M&E has been one of the biggest hurdles in Zhanna’s career. “To be honest, I hate mathematics, I am not about counting. But I have learned a lot about statistics and data collection,” she says. Her commitment to M&E has shown her new horizons of success and also brought her amplified appreciation for Peace Corps’ role in today’s chaotic world. This year, she was selected to be one of only 10 Peace Corps M&E specialists to become certified in their discipline by the United Nation’s International Labour Organization. Because of the pandemic, she attended distance-learning sessions with 80 M&E professionals from other countries led by the ILO’s training center in Turin, Italy.
“Peace Corps brought the human touch to the sessions,” Zhanna said. “When we spoke about the things volunteers do it was eye-opening for them. Volunteers have huge motivation, experience and commitment – willingness to share and learn. It is such a noble thing they do. People from other countries said how can they do so much with so little?”
Zhanna has been intimately immersed in volunteer commitment for more than two decades. Her first significant exposure to Americans beyond seeing tourists on the streets in Kyiv was teaching Group Seven. She laughs that her biggest challenge in those early years was trying to understand American accents. “I was a teacher and I was not afraid,” she says. But I was honest with the class and we had many laughs about it. I told them I had no idea what they were saying. I had never heard native speakers. I learned British English at university.”
“I was pleasantly surprised that Americans were so open, so direct, so ready to learn – and they are still like this. When the Revolution of Dignity started that was such a difficult time for us. But all the volunteers were so united. They supported us so much, as well as now. People are still united. Even former volunteers keep in touch with their sites. They keep in touch with their tutors. They keep in touch with their counterparts. “
Keeping those connections has been daunting while wrestling the Covid pandemic. Peace Corps staff is still working from home. Zhanna credits foresight by Country Director, Michael Ketover, for making the transition to remote work more tolerable.
“Staff and me personally are extremely thankful to Michael for introduction of telework far before Covid, so when we had to be on telework it was not that stressful. The only thing we had to learn was how to combine work with family life.” And for Zhanna, Peace Corps is a family affair. Her husband, Anatoly, has been a staff driver since 2011.
Peace Corps Ukraine is unusual in that all three Americans on staff, Michael Ketover, Pilar Robledo, Director of Programming and Training and Amy McGoldrick, Director of Management and Operations, remained in country after the global evacuation. “It means a lot to us. We all have work to do. There are very many different activities. Everybody is involved with different trainings, especially with counterparts.”
So what’s next? “No one can tell for sure,” Zhanna says. “People have to remain enthusiastic. With the help of our senior staff we have emotional intelligence sessions, it helps us cope with stressful situations. I am trying to look at it from the positive angle. We all can do a lot of on line trainings for personal and professional growth. We can learn something new. We can apply that knowledge when volunteers are back.”
“It’s a different world. It’s a different Peace Corps as well. It’s not different goal-wise or mission-wise at all. Even people who say nothing has changed that ‘s not true because the world has changed around them. We will need to adjust to a new world, to new opportunities.”
If past is prologue, the temporary impacts of Covid will fade away. There will be lasting lessons that transform Peace Corps Ukraine. Zhanna has participated in many such evolutions. No doubt she will have a role shaping whatever stability there is to come.
