Iryna Zarutska

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Iryna Zarutska (Ukrainian: Ірина Заруцька) was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, and was 23 years old when she died. Zarutska studied at Synergy College in Kyiv and earned a degree in art and restoration. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Zarutska family moved from their apartment to a small bomb shelter where they lived for months. Iryna, her mother, her sister, and her younger brother immigrated to the United States in 2022. Her father remained in Ukraine as laws prevented men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country; he was later unable to attend her funeral in the United States. In Huntersville, North Carolina, Iryna took various jobs and began learning English. Her boyfriend gave her driving lessons, since the family had never owned a car. Zarutska enrolled in college classes and found work at Zepeddie's Pizzeria in Charlotte. On the night of the attack, Zarutska had finished a shift there and was commuting home on the Lynx Blue Line. R.I.P. Iryna Zarutska