Once a week, Mid-Pen sophomore Judah H. logs onto a video call—not for class, but for an English lesson with a 12-year-old in Ukraine named Illya. For that hour, Judah steps out of his role as a student and into the role of a teacher, guiding Illya through word games, conversations, and lessons, all to improve his conversational skills. In a world divided by distance and time zones, Judah is building a bridge one conversation at a time. 

ENGin is a nonprofit organization that connects English-speaking volunteers aged 13 and up with motivated young people in Ukraine for weekly one-on-one video conversations. These sessions focus on practicing conversational English, but they offer far more than language skills. Each conversation is an opportunity for cultural exchange, friendship, and mutual understanding—proof that even small acts of connection can have a big impact.

Judah has been volunteering with ENGin since the summer. His sessions focus on building comfort with conversational English, rather than drilling grammar or vocabulary. Judah has designed creative ways to keep his and Illya’s conversations engaging: “Sometimes it’s games, sometimes it's lessons, sometimes it’s just conversation,” he said. They do everything from hard pronunciations to scrabble games. He’s even assigned Illya with homework: to complete the daily Wordle. “If the Wordle answer is not a word that he knows, then it introduces it to him!” 

Judah’s teaching approach has paid off: “I definitely think that I’ve seen marked improvement while they were taking my course, especially just giving longer answers and being able to prompt new subjects and conversations, which is a pretty major skill when you’re learning a language. 

Judah’s weekly conversations are about more than practicing English—they’re about building confidence, connection, and hope. For his Ukrainian partner, these sessions offer a chance to practice speaking with a native English speaker in a relaxed, supportive environment. They also provide something even more meaningful: a sense of normalcy and friendship during an otherwise stressful time.

For Judah, the experience has been equally transformative. Preparing activities, leading lessons, and sustaining meaningful conversation have strengthened his communication and leadership skills, while also giving him a window into another culture. By showing up each week, Judah is proving how powerful a single connection can be—and how much impact a Mid-Pen student can have, even from thousands of miles away.