Rachel Diyaolu’s family and friends welcomed her long-awaited arrival with hugs, tears, and a massive “Welcome Home Rachel” white banner.
When Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, Diyaolu was studying at Sumy in eastern Ukraine as an international student and was forced to flee the city on Monday.
‘Overwhelmed but really happy’: Carlow student Racheal Diyaolu arrives safely back in Ireland after fleeing Ukraine | https://t.co/yXguFXzPRb pic.twitter.com/dlWbWZSVSn
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 11, 2022
According to the BBC, Before her escape, she found safety in her university’s bunker when air raid alarms rang.
On Wednesday evening, Diyaolu sent her family video footage of herself at the Romanian border queue.
Racheal’s beautiful ‘Welcome Home’ banner was created by the lovely team @SnapDameStreet Thank you guys so much🤍
— 𝙿𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚊 (@PrincxssTiana) March 11, 2022
I’d say she spotted us immediately!🤣 pic.twitter.com/CZCSD4HmGY
Flying in from Frankfurt, the Diyaolu family reunion took place at Dublin Airport late Thursday night.
In an interview with RTÉ, Diyaolu, 19, feels “really overwhelmed but really happy” to be back with her loved ones.
“I’ve been away for so long, in the circumstances, it’s been very scary. I didn’t know when I’d get to be home, so I’m really happy to be back”, Diyaolu said.
“It was a very anxious journey. We had a lot of really bad roads, things went wrong along the way, but we stayed positive and knew that once we were out of Sumy, it was [on the] home strait. We knew we just had to go a little bit further, and we’d be back home soon”, she said.
Taking a three-day journey from Ukraine into Romania, she managed to get to Dublin with the help of volunteers, Joe McCarthy and Gary Taylor, who flew in from Scotland to aid individuals to safety out of Ukraine.
Diayolu called McCarthy and Taylor “God-sends.”
“They are average guys; they were always ready to have a laugh and take care of us if we needed anything. I don’t know what I would do without them,” she said.
Diayolu’s parents are more than proud of their daughter for her bravery and determination to get home.
“I’m happy to see her alive; that’s the main thing,” Yemmy Diayolu, her mother, said.
“I’m proud of her. With the kind of stuff she’s made of, she’s very resilient, very peaceful, and very positive. That’s what saw her through, and I’m very happy that she’s back”, Taiwo Diyaolu, her father, said.
Irish students forced to leave #Ukraine will be facilitated to continue their studies in Ireland. My Department is making contact with all students involved and we will work tirelessly to support them https://t.co/viCZhwakYI
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) March 9, 2022
On Wednesday, Irish Higher Education Minister Simon Harris tweeted Irish students can finish their schooling in Ireland.
He wrote students will be contacted and that the department is working “tirelessly” to support them.
