Immigration Journeys: Kateryna Maistrenko | Ukraine

Kateryna Maistrenko???? (Kate) was born in Kyiv, Ukraine to two her parents that were both Olympic rowers and represented Ukraine at the 1972 and 1988 Olympic Games. When she was younger, her father would wake her up early in the morning before school to work out and train.

“It is hard to explain to four-year old that the rest of the kids that go to daycare with you get to wake up at 7am and get ready for school but my dad would wake me up at 6 a.m. to go outside and train. It didn’t matter if it was raining or snowing.”

While she missed out on sleeping longer in the mornings, she realized later that this training and preparation gave her a substantial advantage over her other competitors when it came to rowing.

“Ten years down the road I realized I had such an advantage being better in athletics and in many other things. I believe that if you are good in one thing then you can be great in other things. It help me build resilience in challenges in school and other social relationships.”

DID YOU PLAY OR COMPETE IN ANY SPORTS OTHER THAN ROWING?

“I played tennis and swimming when I was younger. When I turned nine I began rowing and was the youngest competitor at the World International Championships and won Nationals as a nine-year old. I competed in other national and international level competitions until I was 16.”

SINCE YOU WERE BORN AND RAISED IN UKRAINE, HOW DID THE U.S. COLLEGE RECRUITING PROCSESS WORK FOR YOU AS AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AND COMPETITOR?

“When I was 16, the coach from Washington State University reached out to me and offered me a full-ride scholarship. There were other schools but I did not speak English very well since I studied Finnish in school. I agreed to go to Washington State because I liked some of the other girls on the team that were international rowers and I was friends with them. The coaches there have also been incredibly supportive from day one.”

YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU DID NOT SPEAK ENGLISH WHEN YOU ARRIVED TO THE U.S. HOW DID YOU LEARN TO SPEAK ENGLISH?

“I had a tutor that taught me English. After a semester or so I started speaking really good English and somehow managed to have a 3.9 GPA when I didn’t even though I had no clue half of the time what was happening.

Every experience is different. I came to Pullman but was raised in the city in Kyiv. In Pullman, it’s in the middle of nowhere, there are just wheat fields and you don’t have a car. It was a bit hard because I had an English-speaking roommate my freshman year who didn’t really talk to me because she thought I was weird for not being able to speak English. I really wish she could have known me speaking my native language because I am so funny, trust me. She grew up with no immigrants around her and places like Pullman do not get a lot of exposure to immigrants speaking other languages. I went through that rough phase and just tried my best to improve my English and continue learning by watching YouTube videos and talking to my professors that were very supportive. I speak three other languages so learning another language was easier for me and I learned English in my first semester.

I was never going to give up. In Pullman, there was no other way of learning because there were no Ukrainian speaking people. None. Zero. I met one person that maybe spoke some Russian but it wasn’t native.”

BESIDES NOT BEING ABLE TO SPEAK ENGLISH, WHAT WERE SOME OF THE OTHER CHALLENGES THAT YOU HAD WHEN YOU FIRST ARRIVED IN THE UNITED STATES?

“Just the culture and adjusting to a new culture and making friends. When you are Slavic you have a different mentality on how you build your friendships or any relationship. Many of the Slavic people are having difficulty finding friends that are not Slavic. Sometimes it seems like not as many Americans are willing to welcome you into their life if you didn’t grow up or go to high school in the US. It is more difficult for international students to build those relationships. You have to give 100% into making those friendships.

Transportation was also difficult because there were not a lot of buses or public transportation. So just trips to 沃尔玛 you would have to plan out the bus routes just to get groceries. Finding friends that are supportive and offer to drive you or take you places is really important.”

DID YOUR UNIVERSITY HAVE ANY GROUPS OR COMMUNITIES THAT OFFERED SUPPORT FOR THE TRANSITION FROM UKRAINE TO THE UNITED STATES?

“I didn’t meet a lot of Ukrainians but I was also very busy with two practices a day and extracurriculars with tutoring. There were no Slavic clubs but there were Chinese clubs but nothing that applied to me.

The systems in Ukraine and the U.S. are very different and sometimes there is not much help and you have to figure out on your own how to do things like fill out a dorm registration, how to register for classes, how to pay for the SEVIS fees, and it can be really stressful to figure out for a 17-year old that just graduated high school.”

HAVE YOU EVER HAD ANY ISSUES GETTING YOUR VISA IN ORDER TO TRAVEL TO THE UNITED STATES?

“Sometimes I would have to wait months for a visa appointment at the U.S. embassy but the process overall was smooth as long as I had my valid I-20 and just had to wait for the appointment.”

WHERE ARE YOU WORKING NOW AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

“I graduated with Quantitative Economics and International Business. Right out of college I got a job with 亚马逊 and did business analytics and was an analyst for close to two years. I just switched to a smaller company called Impinj . It is a local Seattle company and has more flexibility working remotely that allows me to have more time to go to practice in the morning and still have time to get ready and go into the office or prepare to work from home. It can be risky to leave a big company but I made the decision that I wanted to take on a new opportunity and challenge. At a smaller company you work hand-in-hand with people like the CEO and get to be involved with making decisions.”

DID YOU ALWAYS PLAN ON STAYING IN THE U.S. AND WORKING AFTER GRADUATION?

“I didn’t always know if I had plans or wanted to stay in the United States after graduation. I had plans to train for the Paris Olympics, be with the quad, and be with the team, so it was not the primary plan to stay in the U.S. but I did not know that there was going to b a full-scale war. But it turned out well for me because I have a STEM degree and OPT that gives me valid status in the U.S. to stay here working, earning, and supporting my family.”

DO YOU HAVE PLANS TO PURSUE A DIFFERENT VISA OR GREEN CARD IN ORDER STAY IN THE US LONG TERM????

“Amazon had started my green card process but after about a year and half they stopped processing all of the green cards due to layoffs so my case froze for seven months. This was another reason that I took another opportunity at a different company. I have applied for the H-1B and entered the lottery twice but it has been unsuccessful. I am planning on entering the upcoming H-1B lottery and starting the green card process with my new employer since my OPT will expire in July 2025."

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES YOU HAVE ENCOUNTERED WITH THE U.S. IMMIGRATION PROCESS?

“I applied for EB-1A for extraordinary ability on my own. I applied on my own because I was so enthusiastic and know I can speak English to say how awesome I am and how I have won all of these championships and regatta. I was the captain and could show evidence of all of my medals and awards. But I got an RFE. I’m not an attorney but they didn’t like that. I responded to the RFE but I got a second RFE so now I am working on that second RFE. I was shocked by the second RFE and have no idea why I got a second RFE. I can’t tell if the officer wants to help me or just hates me. Reading the RFE doesn’t make sense what they are asking for but I am trying my best to respond and hoping for the best. But all of the research I have done on US immigration in the past six month I feel like I’m lowkey becoming an attorney!”

“Being a visa holder is always going to mean that officers at the border are going to triple-check what I am doing or where I am going in the US. But for me, being Ukrainian, people wanted to make sure that I was legit and that my I-20s were up-to-date and valid. There have been a lot of challenges trying to renew my visa. I would get a visa stamp for just a year so I would always have to travel to apply and get it renewed. Now, I am not able to go back home to Ukraine to apply so I had to go to Canada and wait. The fees are increasing the STEM OPT is more expensive. Overall, I know that you have to pay fees but they have been increasing tremendously and has made it very challenging.”

WHAT IS ONE THING THAT YOU WISH YOU COULD CHANGE ABOUT U.S. IMMIGRATION?

I wish that the government would treat immigration as a priority. I don’t know what can possibly be changed but as a foreign national you are always worried about your status.

HAVE ANY OF YOUR FRIENDS OR TEAMMATES ENCOUNTERED ISSUES TRYING TO GET A VISA TO COME TO THE UNITED STATES?

“Some of my teammates and friends were not able to get their visas renewed even though they were legit student-athletes. The fear of not getting the visa renewed has caused some of my friends from Russia and Uzbekistan to not be able to travel home because they don’t know if they will be able to come back to the U.S. It is stressful if the officer at the consulate only has a certain amount of visas that he or she can issue that day. But then you show up for your appointment but you don’t get the visa because they have run out or the officer is just in a bad mood and refuses to issue the visa that day. You are always risking not being able to come back to the US and get your degree or your belongings.

There are hundreds of people that can’t get visas, including my little brother. He wanted to get a visa to come support me my first year and watch me race but got his tourist visa declined and wasn’t able to watch me compete. I feel like it is always a 50/50 chance of getting a visa. You either get lucky or you don’t get the visa without any explanation from the officer.”

NIL DEALS ARE SOMETHING RELATIVELY NEW IN COLLEGE SPORTS. WHAT FRUSTRATIONS DID YOU FACE WITH NIL AND THE INABILITY TO PROFIT OR SEEK EMPLOYMENT DUE TO THE RESTRICTIONS ON YOUR F-1 VISA?

“It is something that was very frustrating. I was not able to get some internships that I wanted to get during my college years. I was only able to get some internships after graduation and it is a disadvantage later when I am competing with other applicants and my resume is lacking experience. Rowing full-time was expensive and I was not able to make money to support myself and had to rely on my parents. Other student-athletes were able to profit from NIL but not international students. NIL was really only focused on NCAA football and basketball and there was not many opportunities for other sports. NIL hasn’t benefitted a lot of student-athletes outside of football and basketball. I feel like the chances for getting legislation passed for international students is pretty low but could be possible if there is more effort involved from decision-makers.”

I KNOW THAT THE WAR IN UKRAINE HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT HAS IMPACTED YOU AND YOUR FAMILY TREMENDOUSLY. CAN YOU SHED SOME LIGHT ON THAT IMPACT AND HOW YOU DEALT WITH THAT STRESS WHILE BEING IN THE UNITED STATES?

“I was back home for winter break and was considering skipping my winter camp at Washington State University . There was news that Russian armies were all around the borders of Ukraine. That was scary. The US embassy told all US citizens to get out of Ukraine and a lot of people didn’t think a war was going to happen but I was truly worried. I decided to stay in Ukraine because if there was a war then I wanted to be with my family. But my dad was worried and knew that I had to get out because if there was a war then he wanted me to survive.

My dad and I went to go get coffee and he started driving towards the airport so I asked him “where are we going, why are we going this direction?” He said it was a new coffee shop so I said “okay, let’s try a new coffee shop!” Then he stopped at the airport and dropped me off. He told me “you are leaving. You are leaving right now.” And he handed me a ticket. He put me on the plane and then a few weeks later the war broke out.

He basically saved me knowing that I would not have enough ability to survive because I did not have a lot of training and he made this decision for me. After the war started he kept telling me not to worry but then I wouldn’t hear from him for days. The war was really unpredictable and dangerous. My mom is a doctor and had special training to help in the war. She didn’t have a phone and when we did talk to her she couldn’t tell us where she was or what she was doing.

For me, thinking that I may never hear again from my parents was a day-to-day situation and it still is a day-to-day situation. I have friends that are dying every day.

The war had just started and the next day I had a presentation. I’m a strong woman but when I started presenting I had a panic attack and had to leave the class. But then I got it more under control and could talk about it more and it got easier over time including handling my emotions better because no one is prepared for that situation. Being away from home was the hardest and it was hard to open up to my friends and I would close off from everyone because I had so much pain inside that I feel like no one would understand what it was like but it’s different and better now.”

LOOKING BACK ON YOUR JOURNEY TO THE UNITED STATES, DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE UNITED STATES OFFERED YOU AN OPPORTUNITY THAT YOU COULD ONLY FIND HERE?

“That’s a tricky question because in Ukraine I had everything. I had the best boat. I was the best on my team. Having such famous parents was always the biggest struggle because people would try to make points that I didn’t deserve something and that it was only because of my parents. Especially when I was a teenager and everyone knows your parents, I was always “somebody’s daughter” and it’s truly hard to build a name for yourself when always being compared to my mom when she was a rower. That was one of the main things when to leave my family for the US, even though they mean the world to me.

Not being able to see how my nieces and nephews have been growing up, and not seeing my parents getting older is the biggest price I paid. It was a big price to pay just to be i and build my brand as student-athlete, represent the Ukrainian National Team, and be a person that proves that women can be in science and be incredible leaders. Having this independence is something that Slavic culture is still lacking. So many Slavic women that depend on getting married and finding a rich husband. That has never been my case—I have always been incredibly independent and I think girls should be inspired by women that are self-made without any extra resources like rich parents or something. Even though I have been lucky to have my parents, they are giving all of their money and investing into kid’s camps or to kids with no parents or low-income families. Nothing is better than giving and investing in people that appreciative.

It is important for women to be independent. My nieces are following movies like Frozen which are not like a Cinderella type of scenario where they are just looking for and relying on a prince.”

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A YOUNG UKRAINIAN ATHLETE THAT IS CONSIDERING COMING TO THE UNITED STATES TO STUDY AND COMPETE BUT IS FEARFUL OR IS APPREHENSIVE ABOUT MAKING THAT DECISION?

“Brand new international students are terrified of everything. But they shouldn’t be—its all going to be okay. It’s a new environment and it will always be scary. You have to make friends and make connections and earn that trust. It all takes time. I didn’t become an Olympian over five days, it all takes time. We all find our way. People are worried about way too many things and you are becoming an adult and figuring it out but it takes time.

The US is truly a wonderful place where if you work hard then you can truly change things. In Ukraine, and I love my country with my whole heart and its home, but home can be different. It can be much harder to be a student-athlete in Ukraine. There are not the same resources as there is here where you have people that do everything in their power to help you, communicate with your professors to let them know you will be out for competitions, and providing additional tutoring. In Ukraine, you are just a student. All of the extracurriculars are on your own time. No one cares that you are an Olympian and will not give you any special treatment like you see in US colleges.

I would also say always work harder. If you think you work hard, you don’t. Work harder and make sure your grades are great, make sure you have extracurriculars, make sure you do well in your sport, and the right time will come for you. There will always be right path for everyone. If it isn’t happening for some reason then you have another destiny that will be much better.”

ANY FINAL THOUGHTS THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE?

“The biggest thing is to do your best even though you are going to have your struggles. Have empathy and give support to those that need it because it’s the best feeling. I have struggled so much but I was able to find a community of people to help. I feel like if we can do that and support each other then the world would be a better place.”

Another special thank you to Kateryna Maistrenko???? for providing insight on her challenges and triumphs during her immigration journey to the United States. Her story will help inspire others that may be fearful or apprehensive to come to the United States to study, work, love, and raise their families.

Thanks again for sharing your immigration journey!

This content does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship.

亚马逊 , 耐克 , Pac-12 Conference , International Olympic Committee – IOC , Believe in Me , American Immigration Lawyers Association NCAA Student Athlete Advisory Committee