After Ukraine escape, former med student named top NCB scholar
Published:Monday | September 4, 2023 | 12:05 AM
When Nathan Hansle left Jamaica for Ukraine to pursue medicine in 2021, he never, in his wildest dreams, thought a war would begin and force him to return to his home country.
The 22-year-old youth, like many others, told The Gleaner that he departed Jamaica for Ukraine because it was cheaper to pursue a bachelor’s degree in medicine at Kharkiv National Medical University.
The university had an attractive package, but, after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, he “had to run” back to Jamaica despite being in the middle of pursuing his second year of medical studies.
He was one of 24 medical students who got caught up in the early hostilities of the still ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
“I had to run for my life. We got stuck, but we came back. It felt terrifying. I was in a state of panic at first. I just felt like I was so far away from home. There’s a language barrier. So many people I don’t know. At any moment a missile can strike the room that I’m staying in. It just felt like I could die at any second so far away from home,” Hansle said.
He also said thoughts of dying flashed through his mind as well as thoughts of whether his parents would find his body.
“A whole flood of thoughts came into my mind, a lot of negative thoughts, but then I knelt down and I prayed to God and I felt composure, I felt a calmness and then, from then on I just worked in every way possible to get back home alive,” he said.
When the war began in Ukraine, he said his first reaction was, “Is this actually happening? Is there a war in this day and age in Europe going to happen?”
Hansle said that, as he saw the tension building up, he tried to find his way out immediately, but the plane fares were very expensive. Although he managed to gather enough funds for a ticket to return to Jamaica, the flight was then cancelled.
He also explained that loans were taken out to fund his studies at Kharkiv National Medical University, which still became due for payment when he returned to Jamaica without a degree.
“That money went down the drain. We were in a spot, but then, thanks be to God, I was able to get this scholarship,” the past student of Campion College, who graduated from that institution in 2020, said.
Last Thursday, Hansle was awarded the top male national champion in the National Commercial Bank (NCB) Foundation’s annual scholarship awards for 2023.
Feels like destiny
Now that fate has directed him back to Jamaica and he has an annual scholarship valued at $600,000, he said it still feels surreal sometimes, but also like destiny.
“It felt like I was brought back for a purpose. My purpose is here, and I just have to continue working hard and fulfil it,” he told The Gleaner.
But, before becoming the Clarendon parish champion and the top male scholar in the NCB Foundation tertiary scholarship awards for 2023, he said he had to find that purpose.
“Thanks be to God. I took a gap year [after returning to Jamaica] to kind of find back myself, kind of put myself back on track after that experience, and then I was applying, applying for scholarships and then I applied to study computer science at the University of the West Indies (UWI) [of which I was accepted],” Hansle told The Gleaner.
To occupy his time after returning to Jamaica, Hansle said he volunteered with his May Pen Church of God family, became a youth department vice president and a choir member. He also volunteered with the HEART/NSTA Trust and Lion’s Club of Clarendon.
“I’ve been doing a lot of volunteer work. That’s my passion. I like to help people, help those in need. I’m a strong advocate for that, so that’s what I did in the meantime, while I sorted out what’s my next step,” Hansle explained.
NCB Foundation now celebrates its 15th anniversary of giving annual scholarships and grants to students in need.
With more than $1 billion invested in education since inception, NCB Foundation has pivoted support to digital areas of study, with the goal of supporting the development of digital producers who are equipped with the skills and education needed to thrive in the burgeoning digital economy.
On Thursday, they foundation also announced 11 other parish champions and a top female national champion alongside Hansle. Those students will be pursuing studies in digital areas such as cyber security, among others at local universities.