Yevhen Altyn's Journey: From Donbas to Austin, Software Engineering, Photography, and Leadership

I’m Yevhen, a software engineer who was born in the Donbas and spent much of my life in Kharkiv, where I earned a degree in Software Engineering at the National Aerospace University “KhAI.” Code has been my faithful companion ever since—first in Kyiv’s tech scene, then in Ukrainian and European start‑ups, and later in international DevOps teams.

In 2017 I set off on my personal frontier—a journey to the West—writing software from café corners in Kyiv, Kraków, Madrid, and Málaga, until Austin captured my heart three years ago and convinced me to stay.

When I’m not coding, you’ll usually find me behind a camera. Photography lets me bottle up the energy of our community—the blue‑and‑yellow flags waving at rallies, the laughter at festivals, the quiet determination at charity concerts. If you’ve attended a Ukrainian event in Austin, there’s a good chance we’ve already shared a moment through my lens. My dream is to curate an exhibition that tells our collective story and shows the wider world how creative, resilient, and vibrant Ukrainians remain, no matter how far we roam.

I can’t wait to meet more of you, swap stories, and maybe even take your portrait. Let’s keep building, creating, and celebrating together.