East Grand Rapids — U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink’s recent visit to East Grand Rapids High School was a chance for students to hear about her work and learn more about a war that’s escalated since Russia launched its invasion in 2022.
For junior Maxim Gill, who has loved ones living in Ukraine, Brink’s visit was also an opportunity to express gratitude.
“Thank you for what you’ve done to protect my family,” Maxim told Brink during a question-and-answer session with students.
The remark resonated with the ambassador. She responded with a Ukrainian greeting, which Maxim echoed back.
Maxim was one of about 50 students who joined Brink in mid-October for a pair of roundtable talks in the high school library. The ambassador, who graduated from East in 1987, was in town to accept a distinguished alumni award from the East Grand Rapids Schools Foundation.
After graduating from East, Brink earned her bachelor’s degree from Kenyon College and master’s in international relations and political theory at the London School of Economics. After starting her career as a diplomat in 1996, she worked in Serbia, Georgia and Uzbekistan and at the State Department and the National Security Council. Prior to her appointment in Ukraine, she was the ambassador to the Slovak Republic, according to the Foundation.
‘What’s at stake’
During the discussion, Brink talked about the stakes of the war, which has been ongoing since 2014, but intensified dramatically with Russia’s invasion.
“What’s at stake is European security, and that means our security,” Brink told students.
Senior Teegan Ketter asked if the war has led to a sense of unease or anxiety in bordering regions like Poland and the Baltic states. Brink said it has.
“They believe that if Ukraine falls, one of them will be next on (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s list,” the ambassador said.
‘My recommendation to all of you is, just, get involved.’
— Bridget Brink, U.S. ambassador to Ukraine
A few students, like sophomore Zephyr White, tried to get Brink’s thoughts on the current U.S. political landscape. The ambassador stressed that the Hatch Act prohibits her from publicly expressing political opinions.
On the morality of the war, though, she did not equivocate.
“This is the clearest example of right vs. wrong, good vs. evil,” Brink said. “Russia has invaded another country. There’s no other way to look at it.”
Clare Assaf, a sophomore, asked if pro-Ukraine rallies have any impact on morale in the country, and Brink enthusiastically replied that they do.
“My recommendation to all of you is, just, get involved,” she said. “The people of Ukraine are concerned that support will waver, so support Ukraine.”
Students also asked about Brink’s academic history, and her stance on social media and the spread of disinformation.
Brink, who studied political science, international relations and political theory in college, cautioned students against relying on social media for reliable information about the war, but she encouraged them to stay abreast of world affairs through reputable news sources.
“An informed electorate and an informed public is extremely important to democracy.”
The Toll on Education
After visiting with students, Brink spoke briefly to SNN about how Russia’s invasion has impacted the day-to-day lives of Ukrainian students.
“Education in Ukraine is quite tough right now because many of the educational institutions have been either targeted or affected by the drones and missiles that Russia has sent to the country,” she said. “All educational institutions have to have a bunker … so that when the air alert comes on, they can be safe.”
The U.S. has supported efforts to establish bunkers, she said, but “more needs to be done.”
Two-and-a-half years into her Ukraine posting and three years into Russia’s invasion, Brink said the work of the U.S. has stayed consistent. The goal is still to support Ukraine on as many fronts as possible.
“We have a number of lines of effort we’re pursuing,” said Brink. “One is to … provide security assistance to those who are fighting along the frontlines against Russia’s full-scale invasion. Another is to support the economy, and this means to help Ukraine continue its exports, which form a large part of its GDP.”
Thanks in part to U.S. assistance, Ukrainians have been able to continue to export grain throughout the world, including to food-scarce countries.
Brink also underscored the importance of helping Ukraine keep its electrical grid alive, and supporting the humanitarian needs of displaced Ukrainians.
Brink said she was thrilled to return to East, where she swam as a student. The sport taught her about endurance, conditioned her for the taxing job she’d later have and taught her the value of teamwork, she told the Foundation, adding that coaches Butch Briggs and Joe O’Brien were “inspirational.”
“It’s been wonderful to be back in my hometown, in the high school from which I also graduated, and to see this amazing group of students,” she said, adding that she hopes they left with a better understanding of the degree to which their voices can make a difference.
“My main message to the students is that they have the power and the agency to affect and impact their own lives, and, even more broadly, to shape the world around them. I think that’s a very important message for young people to hear and to know.”
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