Meet Nastia Yermishyna

Chasing Dreams: Nastia Yermishyna's Journey from Ukraine to Drury

Nastia Yermishyna is in her second year at Drury University and has made great waves since joining the swim team. She made the second-fastest split for her fly, also known as the butterfly stroke, in the national swimming competition.

She is an international student, from Ukraine, who is majoring in Computer Science and Game Development. She has ambitions to get an internship with a game developing company but ultimately would like to work in Japan, one of the top video game developers in the world.

She said that leaving home has been scary but knew it was necessary for her career and future. Her team has given her a sense of community, and she emphasized the respect and care she has for them. Nastia has found friendship in particular with Ellie Walker, a fourth-year student and fellow teammate. Most of all, she said her father has helped and encouraged her to be here at Drury.

She is spending her time over the winter break staying at Drury to continue swimming and honing her technique. She’ll be off for the first two weeks resting, but you will find her and her teammates back in the water as soon as they can.