Success to the fullest: the story of Diana Olifer

Those who know Diana Olifer are often struck by her balance and inner maturity. The explanation is quite simple: young people growing up in wartime mature faster. Life makes us do it without any explanation.

 

Diana is from Nikopol. Her hometown has long ceased to live by the calendar and instead follows the rhythm of explosions. The city has lost the Kakhovka waterfront, its peaceful evenings, and hundreds of its residents, and is now going through one of the most difficult periods in its history. Just a few dozen kilometers away lies the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, where drones and artillery shells are regularly launched from. In fact, this is where the line of defense runs. In such a reality, the word ‘stability’ takes on a completely different meaning. For Diana, it is not about the absence of danger, but about inner balance and the ability to stay on course.

 

She grew up in a family of engineers. Her father is a design engineer specializing in heating, gas supply, and ventilation systems, and a graduate of the Prydniprovska State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture in 2000. Her grandfather and uncle also worked in technical fields, and her mother is connected to engineering as well. In this family, conversations about drawings, calculations, and responsibility for results were part of everyday life.

 

Her first serious step toward the profession came as early as the eighth grade. Her father suggested trying to work with the KOMPAS-3D software. It was not an experiment of ‘let’s see what happens’, but rather a thoughtful attempt to introduce his daughter to the profession. Diana remembers that moment clearly: a school drafting assignment, a new tool, and a growing desire to understand more. It was her interest, not pressure, that became her starting point.

Diana graduated from school with a gold medal, though she emphasizes that she never chased grades. What mattered more to her was understanding the material deeply enough to be able to explain it to someone else. She has carried this approach into her university studies.

 

After finishing school, she enrolled at Kharkiv National University of Civil Engineering and Architecture. However, within a year, the full-scale war changed everything: one of the university buildings, with its classrooms and laboratories, was destroyed by a missile strike, and the prospects for offline learning became uncertain.

Currently, Diana is pursuing a master’s degree at the SEI ‘Prydniprovska State Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture’ of the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies, majoring in Heat and Gas Supply, Ventilation and Air Conditioning. At the same time, she works as an engineer at Climatech. Initially, it was an internship. Her field focuses on energy-efficient engineering solutions: ventilation, air conditioning, heating, water supply, and sewage systems. Later, Diana was offered a position as a design engineer, which she accepted.

 

Now she is already managing her own small projects, preparing cost estimates, and working under the guidance of experienced specialists. She tells sincrely about the challenges: combining a master’s program with a full-time job is not easy. Her daily routine is highly structured – work, studies, preparation, rest, without loud claims of ‘doing it all’.  Discipline is key.

 

In addition, Diana teaches English to children online. She says it helps her maintain her language proficiency while also giving her extra energy.

For her outstanding academic performance, she was awarded a personal scholarship from the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. She accepted this recognition with restraint: for her, it is not about status, but rather a confirmation that consistent effort brings results.