Life between bullets: Viktoriia is responsible for Ukrainian future

In 2022, Viktoria Teptiuk graduated from the Bobrovytsia Gymnasium in Chernihiv region. She has taken an active part in artistic amateur activities since kindergarten. And in 2015, fourth-grader Viktoria wrote a poem about the war and won third place in the nomination "Somewhere at the Bottom of My Heart" of the literary and artistic contest "day to you, my Ukraine!"

In the following years, she rose to the second step of the winners of this contest. In the 5 th grade, she became a winner of the district contest and a laureate of the Taras Shevchenko regional contest "Lets unite, my brothers!", and in the 10 th grade - a laureate of the Mykola Gogol All-Ukrainian contest of creative works of pupils and students. There were victories in district and regional stages of  iterary and historical Olympiads of pupils and students.

Yet the talented girl was a silver medalist in the “Yaroslavna” national amateur dance group, awarded a diploma for second place in the mini-football competition, rose from third place (2017) to first place (2019) in the checkers tournament. And finally, she joined the All-Ukrainian "record holders" from External Independent Evaluation.

How does Victoria manage all this? Her father, Serhii Oleksandrovych, believes: "She knows how to self-organize".

I started the interview with Viktoria Teptiuk with a question: what does she expect from life and how does she personally participate in achieving her goals?

-Before the war, I lived a simple, practical dream: to learn to be an English teacher, then consolidate the knowledge in English-speaking countries of the world in order to teach fellow citizens on a deep basis, and myself to expand access to literature and science in the original English language.When the war erupted and rashists` equipment drove through the outskirts of Bobrovytsia and occupied several neighboring villages, that "simple" desire of mine changed. No, I didn't think about moving somewhere abroad, because my parents - Serhii Oleksandrovych and Tamila Mykolayivna - didn't plan it either, although, in addition to me, they have a younger daughter - my sister, who is also an excellent student. But to get a higher education, I chose, one might say, a more serious faculty where international economics is studied. It is true, my parents advised me to study international relations, as with this diploma there are more chances to find a good job abroad. In addition, in gymnasium we practically did not delve into the issue of economics, even international.

Working on the tasks of literature and history Olympiads, I am also well aware of the facts that all advanced countries of the world have reached their peaks, first of all, a high living standard of their citizens, thanks to competent development of their domestic economies. I once read the words of Adenauer, the first post-war chancellor of Germany: "The economy is our destiny." And these are not just nice words - this has been proven by history. There are such examples not only in Europe, but also on all continents.

I aspire not only to delve deeper into the theory of science in international economics (I am already a first-year student), but also to study the best practices ofdevelopment of successful economies directly in advanced countries, so that I could be useful to my motherland with theoretical and practical baggage. Becauseeven from limited information about the state of the Ukrainian economy, I feel thatour country in war is in a dire need for global economic experience...

You have decided on your future profession, you are already a student,but what other issues are you "organizing yourself" to resolve on?-I learned to read in preschool, since then I read a lot, in recent years – only in Ukrainian. The first thing that worries me is that many of my peers do not readnative literature at all. I'm trying to encourage some of my friends to read Ukrainian books that I liked, but, it's a pity, not many such books are published. I mean a lack of the literature that educates, "polishes" morality, humanity, conscience, love for one's neighbor, suppresses hatred and fierce anger, in which the tongue works faster than the brain.Ukrainian-language magazines, children's and youth newspapers are also in great short supply. I not only speak about this issue, but have also made the first personal contribution: my parents financially supported me to publish the first book with short stories, of course, in Ukrainian. But this is a drop in the ocean. It is impossible to notice it among the boundless space of historical and political fiction. As you know, the beginning is the most difficult part of any work. I hope that one of my readers will think about certain behaviour of my literary characters, their thoughts...-So, in fact, you are involved in the most important task of civilization – to teach a person to think? This is the task defined by the most outstanding American inventor of the world class, Thomas Edison.-To tell the truth, I have never reflected on fulfilling this super-task, but I have long been worried about certain thoughtless actions of adults, including certain politicians and representatives of the authorities...-Don`t you see such "thoughtless" people among the common electorate?Almost sixty years ago, Oles Gonchar said in the words of his literary character  in the novel "The Cathedral": "Take any of our workers. Give him a TV-set, a motorbike and yet a ticket to the Black Sea, and hell be on your side with everything you call spiritual...". Are there no such indifferent people now?-A lot, more than enough. And now they are not so indifferent, but business-like for good words and promises. And if someone is given some kind of charity, they are bathed in PR for days. Although the people have long noticed that it is not need that is terrible, but indifference. Although there are many people in our small Bobrovytsia who are busy with work, they work for domestic economy, for their families, and fill the budget. My mother and I, other adults, help the army, make camouflage nets, help with products, food and funds. In one word, there would be a desire to help with a deed, and that deed will be found! We have it.-Here I am listening to your mature thoughts, reproaches to adults, and the words of our famous fabulist Leonid Glibov come to mind: "Who needs such a child, whose lips speak the truth?". Most of all, I will form the "red line" of this interview from the words of such truth. - Again, I don't care who and how will evaluate my civic activity. Because I  don't want to be among those who stand aside from social problems, to be indifferent to them - such people are called destroyers, equated with those who destroy something with their own hands.-In the fifth grade, I received district and regional diplomas for winning the contest named after Taras Shevchenko called "Let's unite, my brothers!". Not since then have I thought about the division of Ukrainians into Westerners and Easterners. Divided…Recently, my friends and I set out to correct this thoughtless adult mistake.Refugee boys from Donetsk and Mariupol came to Bobrovytsia. With our friendly, warm welcome, we have demonstrated that they are like family to us, that we are  one nation - Ukrainian from time immemorial. And the "Easterners" duly appreciated it.I know that in the settlements of our community, other displaced people were warmly welcomed and provided with help and work. That is, we, young people, not only call for the unification of all Ukrainians in this terrible time of war for the sake of defeating the enemy, but also demonstrate it with personal friendly actions. Yes, we lack life experience, but we quickly learn to do good to our fellow citizens, sometimesreminding them that they, adults, are also children, but a little older. Maybe that's why they recognize longer. We, the younger ones, will help them. Interview recorded by Hryhorii VOITOKAuthor`s photo