Valentyna is the principal of Specialized School 277 with in-depth study of the English language in the Desnianskyi district of Kyiv. Her appointment to this position came in September 2021, and in less than half a year she faced one of the most terrifying challenges – the full-scale invasion. On the eve of the war, there was already unease in the air. The school administration was preparing for any possible development: in the school shooting range premises, a shelter was set up, supplied with water, medicine, and sleeping bags. On February 24, 2022, around 5 a.m., Valentyna, like the whole Troieshchyna neighborhood, was awakened by explosions coming from the direction of Brovary. But she did not allow fear to paralyze her actions. At 6 a.m. she was already at work together with all her deputies.