Salin Low introduced Michael and thanked him for pinch hitting on the program when the scheduled speaker became ill. She had wanted Michael to tell the story of his journey from Ukraine to Avon, CT, and this provided the perfect opportunity.
Michael was sorry that the short notice didn't allow for pictures to be included, but he did find an online picture of the building where he grew up. It was a high-rise apartment building which housed mostly military families. Michael still has friends living in that building. In Ukraine people live with their parents until they get married. Michael's dad was an intelligence officer in the military. Michael was born in Kiiv in an area south of downtown.
He went to school in a building right behind his apartment building and walked to school. Teachers also lived close to the school and walked or took public transportation, because having a car was a luxury. With everybody living so close, there were no snow days. The standard education in Ukraine is 10 years, which was the system in effect when Ukraine was part of the U.S.S.R. The official language in the schools was Russian, and Ukrainian was taught as a foreign language and was optional. Michael was the only Jewish kid in school, so he took up boxine for self defense. After school kids would go outside the building and play. There were no cell phones or pagers. Instead mothers would lean over their balconies and shout to the kids when it was time to come home. It was a very safe way of life.
After the Soviet Union fell apart, Michael's dad was forced to retire from the Russian military. He had to wait four years to be able to emigrate. In the meantime he worked for a German company. After about a month, the company realized he had a lot of good connections, and he was promoted. He got a VW Golf, which was the only non-Russian car available. Ukraine has good mechanics as a result of keeping Russian vehicles operating, and that has been a big help during the current war. Michael was preparing for the mandatory draft after completing his schooling and was good at shooting.
Around this time Michael's parents prepared to emigrate from Ukraine to the U.S. Michael's great aunt had won the U.S. immigration lottery. After she moved to the U.S., she arranged for Michael's grandparents and an uncle to come to the U.S. Then in 1994 it was Michael's parents' turn to come and to bring their children. The actual time of the departure was kept quite secret. Each of the family members had a big bag which contained all they could bring with them. They put their bags in a van at night and went to the airport. They flew at night on a big plane to New York City. None of them spoke English. Michael's uncle picked them up and took them to Brookline, MA, where there is a significant Russian community, and it is almost unnecessary to speak English.
In Brookline the family had their first credit cards, because most transactions in Ukraine are handled with cash. They got into a lot of debt and had trouble paying it back, which is a common problem in the Russian community in Brookline. Michael started to work at a McDonald's near Boston University. He started as a dishwasher and moved to the kitchen and on to shift manager. In the process he learned English and Spanish. His dad wanted more for him after having had to leave so much behind. Michael went to community college to take an English as a Second Language course. After that he went to Suffolk College and studied Finance, which he enjoyed, and Information Technology, which he hated. During college he worked at a hotel near the Celtics arena. There was a job fair for seniors, which he wanted to attend even though he was only a junior at the time. He created a resume and bribed someone to get into the job fair. From that he got a job at Fidelity Investments which eventually led him to West Hartford. In 2013 he started a financial consulting practice with a partner, and in 2016 he went out on his own. He used his experience with his early debt problems to help others learn how to deal with debt. He met Peter Bakker from Avon who helped him get into the Avon Chamber of Commerce. He used some of Bakker's office space in his early days in Avon, but now has his own office space.
While Michael was going to school and building his practice, his dad started a truck delivery business. Much of his business involved picking up various products in New York and delivering them to the Brookline area. The business eventually grew to 40 trucks and also involved Michael's brother. They worked a lot with prisons and public schools. Dad has now retired from the trucking business, while Michael's mother is still working at a Russian store in Brookline. Michael's brother continues to live in Massachusetts. Michael, his wife, and four kids enjoy visiting when their schedules permit. Michael's wife is from Belarus and came to the U.S. when she was eight.
When asked about the future of the war with Russia, Michael does not think the Russians will use nuclear arms. He is not surprised that the Russians have had so much trouble, because his dad tells him that Russian equipment was always in poor repair. He attributes the strong Ukrainian patriotism for that country's success so far. One major concern is the food shortages that are bound to come. Ukrainians provided grain and other crops throughout Europe, and the crops are not being planted this year.
We appreciated hearing Michael's story. It helps us to understand how he developed so many gifts which he has generously shared with Rotary. He may have hated studying IT, but we're so glad he was techie enough to keep us together via Zoom during the pandemic and beyond. His can do attitude is an inspiration and an example of Service Above Self.