Alla Kolomiyets has been on the LSC team since early May of 2023, working in the Asheville, North Carolina New Americans Program. But her involvement comes from the heart. Born in Ukraine, Kolomiyets arrived in the United States in 2000, moved cross-country from the Seattle area to Asheville with her family, and began doing volunteer work with Ukrainian refugees shortly after the Russian invasion.
“I was staying home with my children and helping out with our family business when the war in Ukraine began,” she recalls. “I wanted to do something, so I started volunteering through my church.”
As the Ukrainian refugee effort ramped up, her translation skills were in increasing demand, and Kolomiyets had the opportunity to become an LSC case manager.
“Now that I’m a paid teammate and not a volunteer, my husband is complaining less about it,” she jokes.
As LSC’s needs evolved, Kolomiyets stepped into a new role in Refugee Support Services. And in late 2023, she became the face of Asheville’s Employer Engagement program.
Funded by a three-year renewable grant from the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the program aims to partner with employers within a 100-mile radius of Asheville to provide career advancement opportunities for ORR-eligible employees such as refugees and asylees.
Kolomiyets has already formed strong bonds with several local employers, and she is having a big impact on them and their New American employees.
“It’s been very refreshing building a relationship with LSC and working with Alla,” says Jarrett Sullivan, general manager of Quartz Transport, one of the first partners to sign on. “We’ve hired several Ukrainians full-time, and one was promoted to manage the entire team. ”
“You have to be prepared to convince [employers],” says Kolomiyets, whose official title is Employer Engagement Coordinator but whose role involves both sales and translation. “I’m a natural born negotiator. I’m trying to find employers who pay a good living wage and help New American employees move up the ladder. It makes me warm inside when I visit our partners and they are happy to see me.”
LSC’s child and family services division recognized her dedication with the Serve Joyfully Award in April 2024. As her nominator observed, “Alla serves joyfully and whole-heartedly to LSC teammates, clients, employers, and community members wherever the need arises and without hesitation. I am constantly amazed at her ability to put others first with such a gracious and positive demeanor, regardless of her busy schedule.”
“As a refugee myself, I know how hard the process can be,” Kolomiyets notes modestly. “Our grant is entering the second year, and my goal is to get to know more employers, meet their needs, and help more refugees advance in the workplace,” she says.
LSC’s New Americans Program needs your support today. To help us continue our work, please click here.