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Anna's Story submitted by Addie Mattox
Anna and her husband immigrated to the US from Ukraine in February 2022. Their son was born soon after their arrival. Fortunately, their departure was before the Russian invasion began. They had no inkling the war was about to break out.
Anna has found her first year here extremely challenging. She was unprepared for the physical exhaustion from caring for a newborn. In Ukraine she had earned the equivalent of a CPA, but that didn’t catapult her into a financial management job, as she’d hoped. She also wasn’t aware of how expensive it was to live in the Bay Area. She purchased medical insurance and thought that was all she needed. The reality was first and last month rent, auto insurance, etc.
She waited three months for a temporary work permit. Anna responded to dozens of job posts. Many companies didn’t respond at all. Others required recommendations from former bosses or co-workers – none of which Anna could provide. Some required her to go through multiple interviews (mostly virtual). One well-known company required two days of interviews, written tests, and writing samples; an entire week of activities, then turned her down with no explanation.
Anna’s English is excellent. She studied English at a top Ukrainian university. In 2005, she joined a work/travel program where she spent a summer in New Hampshire. My role as her tutor has been to refine her conversational skills, review and edit her writing samples, and lend moral support during many stressful months.
A smaller software company hired Anna and agreed to apply for her green card. She loves California and living in the US. She’s willing to work for the five years leading up to her first citizenship interview. Anna says that searching for a reputable day care center, then leaving her sobbing son there, has been as stressful as finding a job.
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