When she heard about the news of the war in Ukraine, Zoya Staroselsky felt compelled to support her fellow Ukrainians, in more ways than one.  

Zoya, who moved to the U.S. with her family as refugees in 1991, was empathetic to everyone being affected by the war, so she helped to organize fundraisers and two rallies at the Des Moines Capitol in March and April of 2022. 

“Once you’re Ukrainian, you’re always Ukrainian,” said Zoya. “I was hit very hard by the news of the war in Ukraine. We still have friends and connections there, so hearing the news was scary.” 

In December 2022, Zoya began working at LSI as an interpreter, speaking both Ukrainian and Russian. “My son called me and said he sent me a link to a Ukrainian Interpreter job at LSI. I thought ‘maybe I can help in that way.’ That’s how I got the job here. I just wanted to help in as many ways as I could,” said Zoya.  

A large part of Zoya’s job is to provide her clients with everyday necessities including clothing, car seats and diapers. “These people came with little notice,” said Zoya. “They brought what they could carry in their hands or small suitcases.” 

When Zoya first started at LSI, she was the only Ukrainian interpreter. Now, LSI has a bigger team that allows them to help more clients.  “As of right now, our team works with about 40-50 clients, but we still have much room to grow,” said Zoya. 

LSI hosts resource fairs for newly-arrived Ukrainians to help set them up with access to community programs and services, but according to Zoya, some people come to the resource fairs just to find someone that they can communicate with. 

One of the most challenging aspects of Zoya’s job is not always being able to obtain items or resources for her clients as quickly as they need them.  “People are very generous, but it’s hard to not be in charge of your own life. Some of these clients depend on other people and that can be challenging for them,” she said. 

Zoya also shared that she is especially happy when she is able to help a family or individual get what they need to succeed or move forward in their lives. “It fulfills me to my core to help people, and this job aligns with that value. I found that at LSI, it’s not just interpretation, I get to help all those families with their needs in many different ways,” she said. 

“It makes me very proud of this organization [LSI] that has done this work for many years, for many different people, of many different nationalities,” said Zoya. “Being a part of this organization makes me feel really proud of the work I do.” 

Learn more about Services for Ukrainian Humanitarian Parolees: