In partnership with Peace Through Music International, a nonprofit organization that aims to help children from war-torn countries improve their lives through music, BYU–Hawaii students recently traveled to Poland to lift, teach, and serve refugee children from Ukraine.
Liz Shropshire, BYUH alumna and founder of Peace Through Music, trains Ukrainian teenagers to become leaders and teachers for younger children. During their time there, BYU–Hawaii students helped train and support both youth leaders and children through music activities and lessons, while also learning alongside them. Together, this experience broke the boundaries of culture and language and created memories they will never forget.
Learn to Teach, Teach to Learn
Teaching music wasn’t the only thing BYU–Hawaii students focused on. They were also expected to learn Polish and Ukrainian.
"I knew it was going to be challenging," said Laine Abana, a senior from the Philippines majoring in social work and music. "I was especially nervous about the language. We used Polish when we were out in the community, and while working with the Ukrainian children, we tried to use Ukrainian as much as we could.”
Abana said she and her classmates learned basic phrases like how to count and introduce themselves, along with a few common expressions, in addition to music-related terms in Ukrainian.
“I was assigned to teach music fundamentals,” she continued. “I taught the children and youth about notes and rests, including whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, and eighth notes.”
BYU–Hawaii students also shared and taught songs from their own cultures. Leigh Fisher, a junior from Nevada majoring in general music with a piano emphasis, taught a Samoan song to the teenage volunteers during her first week. "It definitely helped break cultural and language barriers," Fisher said. "There were a lot of different languages being spoken, so it was really fun to share my culture with them and teach them something new. Being able to bring my culture to Poland and connect with the students was really meaningful."
Holi Fuluvaka, a junior from Hawaii majoring in music, chose to teach the children a simple song to overcome any language barriers.
"I wanted to choose a song that was short but meaningful to me," Fuluvaka said. "I taught 'Aloha Kakahiaka,' a Hawaiian good morning song that I learned when I was very young. Every morning when the younger children arrived, we would sing 'Aloha Kakahiaka.'”
Fuluvaka said she and her students adapted the song into Ukrainian so they all could sing both versions together.
“I believe Liz is now working on a new songbook that will include it," she added. “That's something I'm really proud of—being able to take a song from where I grew up and leave it with those children.”
Auschwitz-Birkenau
While the course centered on serving Ukrainian refugee children through music, students also visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Oświęcim. The visit provided historical context and prompted students to reflect on the consequences of racism, prejudice, and war.
"Visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau was probably the most powerful experience for me," Fisher said. "In the United States, we learn about World War II and the Holocaust in classrooms, but being there in person was completely different. It was a very sobering experience."
She said that the experience reminded her of the importance of loving the people around us. "It made me appreciate what I have,” she said. “Spending time with the Ukrainian youth, who had experienced war and displacement, was incredibly inspiring because of how resilient and strong they were."
For Abana, the experience reaffirmed her desire to work with refugees someday.
“When we visited Auschwitz-Birkenau, we saw the concentration camps, gas chambers, and the belongings left behind by Holocaust victims, including suitcases, shoes, kitchen items, and even hair," Abana said. "Seeing those things was heartbreaking."
"That experience changed the way I think," she added. "It made me feel that something like that should never happen again. Working with the Ukrainian youth afterward reinforced that feeling — I don't want anyone to experience that kind of suffering."
Abana said her biggest takeaway was that showing kindness to even one person can have a lasting impact.
A Lasting Impact
Through music, service, and cultural exchange, the Intercultural Peace Through Music Leadership course gave students an opportunity to connect with people across language and cultural barriers. The experience not only allowed them to support Ukrainian refugee youth, but also helped them develop greater empathy, leadership skills, and a deeper understanding of the world around them.
For Fisher, Abana, and Fuluvaka, the trip became more than an educational experience—it became a reminder of the power of kindness, connection, and using their talents to serve others. As they returned to BYU–Hawaii, they brought back lessons that continue to shape how they view leadership, culture, and their role in serving communities around the world.