Ukrainian migrant arrives in Boston thanks to an army of volunteers

Alina Chernyakova spent weekdays in a bomb shelter in the Ukrainian city of Sumy when Russia first invaded the country last year.

The city is less than 20 miles from Russia and was one of the first to be occupied by Russian forces after war broke out. It was a dangerous place to live, Chernyakova said, and her situation was made more difficult because her late husband was dealing with cancer.

But on Thursday, Chernyakova landed at Logan and walked into the international arrivals area with a job lined up in Needham and an army of volunteers ready to help her settle into a new life in Massachusetts.

Holding a small Ukrainian flag, Chernyakova said “I stand with Ukraine” as she laid eyes on a group of people waiting for her.

“I would like to begin in a new way in my life, because I have no job in Ukraine,” she told reporters at the airport. “But the difficult situation may be temporary. I hope it will be okay soon. I hope.”

Chernyakova is in line to work as a teacher at Temple Beth Shalom in Needham thanks to a program facilitated by the humanitarian organization Alight, The Shapiro Foundation, Social Finance, Talent Beyond Boundaries, Bright Horizons, JFS Metrowest, and Miles4Migrants.

The Ukrainian migrant has a background in education, having earned a PhD in pedagogy while in Ukraine.

Candidates for the relocation program are identified in Ukraine and Poland through social media, digital surveys, and European-based Alight workers. Their information is stored in a job catalog made available to employers in the United States and maintained by Talent Beyond Boundaries.

People are then matched with U.S.-based employers if they meet specific job requirements. If the company or organization agrees to hire the person, Alight facilitates sponsorship paperwork and works with locals to help the migrants once they are on U.S. soil.

Miles4Migrants helps the migrants get to the U.S. from Ukraine and resettlement agencies secure housing and enroll the newcomers in support services. Alight says resettlement support is most intensive in the first 45 days.

Chernyakova will have help from two members of Temple Beth Shalom who came to the U.S. from the former Soviet Union when they were young.

One of them, Igor Khislavsky, 39, moved to West Hartford, Connecticut from what is now Kyiv, Ukraine in November 1989.

“There were volunteers that helped us when we first got here. We didn’t have any family. We didn’t really have anybody,” Khislavsky said. “And so over time, we’ve been able to do well in this country. We’ve been able to create a really great life for our families, our kids. And so I think that’s certainly a part of why it seemed like a no-brainer to participate in things like this.”

Irene Berlinsky, another volunteer, came to the United States from Minsk, Belarus when she was nearly eight years old. She said she never had a really strong connection to Ukraine but felt connected to the immigrant experience from the former Soviet Union.

Berlinsky said she and Khislavsky spoke with Chernyakova over video chat before her arrival, helped prepare an apartment, and brought a bag of small gifts to give her at Logan.

“We’re grateful that she’s going to be teaching our children and excited that we get to be part of this groundbreaking program that helps do so much good to fill these needed early childcare jobs, and help refugees,” Berlinsky said.

U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, whose district includes Needham, was also on hand for Chernyakova’s arrival.

“This event today, it represents the best of the United States,” he said. “We’re welcoming refugees, helping them build new lives for themselves and their families here in the United States. This has happened for over 400 years before this, helping them contribute to the economy and to society.”