Fractures of war

President of the HEC Imagine Fellows association, Ukrainian student Nikol Myroshnychenko (H.28) is helping draive reflection on Business & Peace.

Nikol’s life changed overnight on February 24, 2022, at dawn, when a violent explosion tore her from sleep. “I was living in the suburbs of Odesa, across from a military base that the Russian army bombed.” Although tensions had been escalating for several days, the airstrike came as a shock. The very next day, she fled the city with her parents, heading west to a region still spared by the offensive. “We thought it would last only two or three weeks,” she recalls. But the situation worsened. After a month and a half, the family decided to leave the country. Their destination: France, where relatives had long been settled.

Until then, Nikol had led a full and happy life in Odesa. Raised in a Ukrainian family, she attended a school where she studied both Ukrainian and Russian from an early age. Bilingual, she takes pride in having “two mother tongues,” equally important in her eyes. Her parents instilled in her both the importance of education and the value of human relationships: “They are my personal driving force—and the driving force of society as a whole.” In high school, elected president of the student council, Nikol became involved in charitable initiatives supporting orphans and children displaced from the Donbas region, which has been at war since 2014. She nurtured her passion for languages, adding English and Spanish to Ukrainian and Russian. She graduated with highest honors. When war caught up with her, Nikol was a first-year undergraduate student in Business Administration and Management at the prestigious I.I. Mechnikov National University of Odesa. “I was able to continue the program remotely and will graduate with my bachelor’s degree in management in 2025,” she explains, highlighting the resilience of Ukraine’s higher education system, which has enabled displaced students to pursue their studies online throughout the conflict.

 

South to South…

In the meantime, Nikol has settled in Montpellier. “The city’s location in southern France, close to the sea, has similarities with Odesa. People from the South understand people from the South.” Well, almost… On her first day, while waiting outside the prefecture to handle administrative paperwork, she tried to order a coffee: “I quickly realized I wouldn’t get very far here using only English!” she laughs. No matter—she enrolled in French classes at the University of Montpellier. At the same time, she volunteered with SOS Montpellier Ukraine, an organization that helps Ukrainian refugees integrate into French society and sends electricity generators to Ukrainian regions where energy infrastructure has been destroyed. “Because of the conflict, millions of civilians are without electricity or heating, even as winter temperatures can drop to –25°C.”

Academically, Nikol has wasted no time either. She enrolled at Montpellier Business School while continuing her Ukrainian bachelor’s degree remotely. She discovered, with curiosity, the French grandes écoles system, which has no equivalent in Ukraine. Its rigor appealed to her. While she was also interested in Sciences Po, she fell in love with HEC Paris: “An institution of excellence, truly international, training the leaders of tomorrow. Perfect for me, as I dream of building bridges between France—now my second home—and Ukraine, my country of origin.”
The existence of the HEC Imagine Fellows program (see box) further strengthened her determination: “Beyond the financial support, the Imagine scholarships provide essential moral support.” Nikol, who has returned to Ukraine only once in four years, points out that students from countries at war do not experience their studies in the same way. “We think constantly about our countries, about those we left behind. Among HEC Imagine students and alumni, understanding is instinctive—we support one another.”

To make voices louder

In August, Nikol became president of the HEC Imagine association, with the goal of strengthening ties within the network. “My classmates and I are the fourth cohort of this program. The association is still young and needs greater visibility on campus. We want all students to know and understand the mission of HEC Imagine: to foster reflection on key issues such as diplomacy, peace, and war, in connection with business.”

The association also provides its members with a platform to engage and make their voices heard. In that capacity, Nikol represented HEC at the Paris Peace Forum in December. This international conference, for which HEC Paris is an academic partner, brings together heads of state and government, leaders of international organizations, and civil society actors to address major global challenges: peace, human rights, as well as sustainable development and digital issues. “This year, several heads of state were present, including Emmanuel Macron, John Dramani Mahama, Maia Sandu, Nikol Pashinyan, and Edi Rama. Discussions covered Ukraine, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, AI, oceans…” Nikol dreams of one day being among the event’s speakers. “I would have something to say!”

On the situation in her country, Nikol offers a nuanced perspective shaped by her dual linguistic identity. “What I valued in Ukraine was freedom. Russians have claimed that the Ukrainian government prevented Russian speakers from speaking Russian—that’s simply not true. There was never such an issue: even during the Soviet era, Ukraine was an open country, with a diverse population where both languages coexisted.” Today, she says, it is essential for her to speak Ukrainian, to preserve her country’s heritage through its language. She also laments a rise in intolerance: “Before the war, I didn’t realize how important nationality could be to some people. I didn’t think it was possible to judge or condemn someone based on that alone.”

 

A positive energy

On the HEC campus, Nikol feels completely at home. She makes the most of the sports facilities, practices crossfit to channel her energy, and takes advantage of the Languages and Cultures department to learn a sixth language: German. Above all, she values the immersive student life experience: “HEC is a true community—we study together, eat together, celebrate together. It’s a unique experience!”

In addition to HEC Imagine, Nikol has joined the student association Net Positive, which focuses on sustainability issues. In this context, she supports startups from the LaunchPad program working on energy-related projects. Nikol has been interested in the energy sector since high school and is eager to contribute to its transformation: “I believe in decarbonization and renewable energy projects.” In Montpellier, she completed an 18-month internship at MGH Energy, a company dedicated to decarbonizing maritime and air transport through renewable synthetic fuel production projects. “When the war is over, I hope to contribute to Ukraine’s reconstruction, working in international cooperation or financial advisory roles for the government, particularly on energy-related issues.”

In the meantime, Nikol is actively building bridges. In December, thanks to a collaboration between HEC Imagine and HEC Débats, the campus welcomed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk, one of the first voices to denounce Russian war crimes. “She shared her vision of human rights and emphasized the need to work on justice and memory. She is an admirable figure who makes me proud to be Ukrainian.” The next speaker Nikol hopes to bring to campus? Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “I know he is very busy, but discussions are underway with the Ukrainian embassy in France.” With Nikol, nothing feels impossible.