I came to the UK from Ukraine in 2017 at the age of 13, with my mother and stepfather who both played violin in the orchestra of the Ukraine National Opera. They fled in order to protect me from a campaign of persecution which was directed towards my family. With the support of my wonderful school - Egglescliffe - I have recovered from childhood trauma and developed into a happy, confident and hard-working young musician. I love singing, playing the violin and piano, and have already reached diploma level in my musical studies.

The Royal Northern College of Music have awarded me a generous scholarship which will cover 100% of my fees. I am hugely grateful to them for their incredible generosity.

Unfortunately after 5 years - and despite support from my MP - the Home Office have still not reached a final decision on our application to remain in the UK. This means that my family and I do not have the right to work, and I cannot apply for student loans or any kind of financial support. We cannot return to Ukraine - our family home has been bombed by the Russian Army and is currently in a war zone.

While I hope we will eventually be treated in the same way as other Ukrainian families fleeing the war, it seems unlikely that the Home Office will process our case in time for me to obtain a student loan and a NI number by mid-September this year and the start of the academic year.

As I have absolutely no means of funding living expenses for my first year at RNCM. I would be very grateful for any donations to support me in my first year at university in September.