In large parts of the world, degrees from American universities are the gold standard of higher education. Oleksandr Danylov, a 17-year-old incoming first-year student from Ukraine, is coming to UW-Superior for just that.

“In our country American degrees are very quality proof, so it’s not so hard really to find a job,” he said. “It should be great, best way to success.”

He intends on spending four years at UW-Superior and graduating with a degree in economics. He plans to use his degree to either become a financial consultant or fight financial crimes such as terrorist financing and money laundering. After graduation he hopes to use his economics degree to rebuild his home country once the war with Russia ends.

Danylov left his home city of Kyiv and arrived on campus earlier this month. After spending a week in New York City, Danylov flew into Minneapolis and then made his way to Superior.

Being firmly on the other side of the world, Danylov said his first week here felt strange. The food, traditions and culture are all different from how it is back home. Even attending university in the United States is quite different from home. Although relatively quaint by American university standards, Danylov said he was impressed with the size of the UWS campus in comparison to universities back in Ukraine, which tend to be quite a bit smaller. Despite all of that, he said he is rapidly adapting to the difference it and eager to embrace his new life in Superior.

Before arriving on campus, Danylov was already familiar with Superior because of his love of geography. Being on the largest freshwater lake by area in the world, Danylov can’t wait to explore all the natural wonders that surround Lake Superior.

“It has a very peaceful coast,” Danylov said of the great lake.

He is excited to explore abundance of forests and parks that surround Superior and is looking forward to spotting North American wildlife. While at UWS, he hopes to take up canoeing, as well as winter activities such as skiing and snowboarding.