By Abigail Dumas
It is commonplace for high school students to participate in some form of volunteering or community service. Whether it’s walking dogs at a local shelter or delivering food to those in need, many teens do their best to try and make a difference in the world. But for one local student, giving back looks a little different.
Mariana Caraballo, a rising senior at Bloomingdale High School, spends her time working to improve the lives of Ukrainian children through virtual connection. Caraballo does this through ENGin, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to helping Ukrainians learn English, exchange cultural knowledge and make friends from around the world.
ENGin works to connect Ukrainians with English-speaking volunteers in weekly one-hour meetings. Caraballo first discovered ENGin on a website for online volunteering opportunities in February 2025. Since that time, Caraballo and her two students, who are currently living in Ukraine, have participated in over 35 hours of video chatting. The meetings are one-on-one with a focus on language learning. Caraballo uses several different strategies and tools to help her students become more fluent in English, and her hard work is paying off.
“I’ve seen improvement in their overall performance, whether it be through grammar or even incorporating new words into our conversations,” said Caraballo.
Even though her students are more than 5,400 miles away, Caraballo has become close with them and values them as good friends. Especially her 14-year-old student, Anna, who Caraballo has formed a tight bond with.
“There are times where we will argue about pineapple being on pizza or play Dress to Impress on Roblox together,” said Caraballo.
Caraballo even recalled a funny time when Anna asked her the meaning of ‘six seven’ in the middle of a lesson. Caraballo cited it as an example of how globally connected she is with her students, regardless of the distance between them.
The weekly calls are beneficial not only for the students but also for Caraballo herself. The young volunteer has stated how grateful she is to be able to learn about Ukraine’s culture, especially with all that the country has been through in recent times.
Ukraine has been amid a full-scale war since February of 2022. The citizens of this country have seen unspeakable tragedy and suffered much loss. Although such a large international conflict may seem beyond help, ordinary people can pitch in and make a difference where it counts. With the help of organizations like ENGin, and people like Mariana Caraballo, the Ukrainian people have received some of the aid and support they require to get through such a hard time.
For any readers interested in becoming one of ENGin’s 32,000 volunteers, visit www.enginprogram.org. All ages and backgrounds are eligible to become volunteers and will be trained after registration.
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