On December 10th, Peace Corps Volunteer Ashley Wichman delivered a presentation on “American Family Law” to 12 translation students who attend Sumy State University.

The students learned about the history of family law in the United States, important family law court cases, and current trends and challenges in American family law. Students engaged in discussion about the differences and similarities between Ukrainian and American family policies.

"Speaking with Sumy State students is always enlightening and informative for me," Wichman said. "Although I was invited to speak about policies in the United States, I now know more about Ukrainian policies and culture after our discussion. One of the biggest surprises for the Ukrainian students was learning about American laws pertaining to maternity/paternity leave: most students were shocked to learn that Americans are not guaranteed paid maternity or paternity leave from the federal government, and policies can vary widely from company to company."

At the beginning of the presentation, students played a "True or False" game: pairs of students had to guess if an American Family Law fact written on a slip of paper was true or false. They also shared their vision of what a family is and what words came to mind when they thought of "family." Throughout the presentation, students asked questions and shared their knowledge about Ukrainian family law.

Family Law in the United States