At a military school in western Ukraine, 136 graduating cadets marched in white uniforms under heavy clouds as parents and friends watched. The ceremony marked the end of years spent living, studying, and training together, and for many, the first step toward a career in the armed forces during wartime.
School Life and Training
The school houses about 400 cadets from across Ukraine. On paper, it resembles any other high school, with students studying mathematics, physics, English, and history before taking national exams. However, daily life includes military drills, tactical exercises, and drone training, taught by civilian teachers and military officers.
“They go from boys to men to warriors here,” said deputy head Taras Hrytsevych. After years of discipline and routine, those rituals are ending.
Graduates' Aspirations
Zakhar Yanov, 17, traveled nearly 560 miles from Dnipro to attend the school. After summer, he will move to Odesa to study at a military academy. “It’s my duty to defend Ukraine,” he said. “I want to join the airborne forces.”
Kateryna Sheremeta, 16, from the Volyn region, will attend the national academy of the state border guard service to become a border guard officer. “Before the war, I thought about working with something creative, such as becoming an architect or a designer,” she said. “But after the invasion, I realized this is where I belong.” Her father served in the military during the early stages of the invasion, and both of her brothers have also served. One brother was killed in January this year at age 25.
Ceremony and Future Paths
Since 2024, the school has admitted girls. Cadets hugged parents they had not seen for weeks or months and posed for final photographs. Within days, many will submit applications to military academies, while others will leave for universities or civilian careers. The dormitories will stand empty until a new class arrives in September.
The cadets threw their arms around lifelong friends, celebrating the end of a chapter that shaped their adolescence. Tomorrow, they will leave for different cities and different futures.
