Kateryna and Oleksii’s journey from Ukraine to the United States took them through Poland, Germany, Portugal and Mexico before they eventually arrived in Houston. There, a local family helped them get established and begin working toward financial stability, but starting over was not easy.
“Trying to find a job and everything was challenging,” Kateryna said. “In Ukraine, we don’t have an issue with transportation, but here it was difficult to get a job because we didn’t have a car, a phone card, a bank account.”
Oleksii began working as a technician for a household equipment repair company, while Kateryna worked as a dispatcher, answering phone calls. The work gave them a starting point as they learned how to navigate life in a new country.
Eventually, Oleksii received an opportunity to start a company of his own. He chose Richmond as the place to build that business and a future for his family.
Today, that business has grown to include seven technicians, and Oleksii is already thinking about what comes next.
“Our goals would be to open more offices across Virginia,” he said. “Virginia Beach is one we are looking at.”
For Kateryna and Oleksii, building a business has been only one part of creating a new life. Finding community and connections has been just as important.
The family first discovered JFS Richmond through established Ukrainian clients who introduced them to the agency and its Welcome to America program. Through the program, Kateryna and Oleksii have participated in gatherings that connect newcomers with one another and help them feel more at home in their new community. The meetings have given them an opportunity to meet other immigrants, share experiences and build relationships with people who understand what it means to start over.
Their own journey has given them plenty to share. Now, Richmond has become home.
Their family, including their daughter, has built stability through work, entrepreneurship and the support of people and organizations that helped them along the way. While they continue to attend Welcome to America meetings, they are also looking toward the future and what they can build here.
For Kateryna, there is no question about where that future will be.
“We will stay here,” she said. “We don’t want to restart again. I feel like I’m a part of the United States. When we came here, we had to start everything from the beginning without any money, without anything. I’m not doing this again. Even in Ukraine, you still need to come back, find a job and live there with their economy.”
Their story reflects the purpose of JFS’s Welcome to America program: helping newcomers find connection, community and a sense of belonging as they build new lives in Richmond.
For Kateryna and Oleksii, that new life is already taking shape. What began with uncertainty and a journey across multiple countries has become a growing business, a family rooted in Richmond and a future they are determined to build in the United States.
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