Nadiia Terzi was born in the village of Zhabche in Zhytomyr region. After the accident at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986, her family was forced to relocate to Poltava region. It was there that Nadiia grew up, finished school and later entered a vocational college, where she trained as a cook.

After her studies, a new chapter began in Nadiia’s life. She met her husband, started a family and moved home more than once. Her first major work experience came abroad: in 2004, she went to Türkiye, where she worked for several years. In 2008, Nadiia returned to Ukraine and moved with her family to Kyiv region. They first lived in Hryhorivka, then in Slobidka, where she and her husband later bought a house and settled down.

Nadiia joined the gas station in 2019 as a cashier. At the time, the station was still operating under another brand. After the change of ownership, when the gas station became part of UKRNAFTA, Nadiia stayed on with the company.

Today, her job involves much more than serving customers at the till. Nadiia sells goods, recommends products to customers, keeps an eye on displays, prints price tags, accepts deliveries when there is no merchandiser or manager on shift, checks expiry dates, stocks the refrigerators and prepares the gas station for the next shift.

It is a role that requires focus, speed and the ability to manage several processes at once. Customers may not always notice this work, but it is exactly what good everyday service is built on: products in the right place, prices kept up to date, refrigerators fully stocked and everything ready for the next shift.

After the station became part of UKRNAFTA, Nadiia noticed the changes straight away: there were more customers, and the workload increased. The team has changed over the years, but she still works with a manager she has known for a long time.

Outside work, Nadiia has another passion — men’s haircuts. She first trained as a barber for her own family: she has two sons and a husband, while her sister, who used to cut their hair, had moved abroad. Over time, it became something Nadiia genuinely enjoys. Today, she has a small room at home where she welcomes clients in her free time.

“I like it. It helps me relax a little,” she says.

Travel is another way Nadiia recharges. The family used to travel abroad, but now they try to visit the Carpathians every year, both in winter and in summer. In winter, Nadiia does a little skiing, while in summer she enjoys hiking in the mountains and spending time close to nature.