Staff Spotlight | Kristina Amis

Kristina Amis is an Employment Counselor with CRIS’ Employment Program.

“I was born in Ukraine. My three younger brothers and I were placed in an orphanage when I was seven years old. When I was 12, we spent the summer as guests in the home of an American family in southeast Ohio. The next summer, we did the same. When I was 14, this family adopted the four of us. We became a family of ten, with me as the oldest of six brothers and one sister.

I remember how difficult it felt to go to high school in America that first year without knowing much English. A new family, new country, new culture, new language—so many changes. I began to pick up English, and I stayed connected with my Ukrainian family and Ukrainian friends living elsewhere in the U.S. 

I went to Ohio University and studied Business Administration, and I worked as a bank teller my last year of college. I had an interest in working in business, but I also felt the desire to help people—especially those from my country. This desire became even stronger as the crisis escalated in Ukraine and more people began to seek safety here in the U.S.

After I finished my degree at OU, I began searching for jobs as a translator and found out about CRIS. I applied for an open position in CRIS’ employment program and was hired, so I relocated from my home in Wintersville, Ohio.

I now serve refugee and immigrant families as an Employment Counselor, helping them find and apply for jobs, assisting in the hiring process, and connecting them with other resources they need. 

Although I have always kept up my Ukrainian language abilities, I now have an English accent when I speak it. Because of this, some of the Ukrainians I serve ask where I am from. When I respond with my hometown in Ukraine, our interactions immediately transform—they light up and open up in new ways. There’s a level of trust that’s established. 

I sometimes share parts of my own story with families I serve—relocating to the U.S. as a teen, struggling to learn English and navigate the culture. I explain that though there were challenges, my adoptive parents were there to support me through it all. Now I am able to offer this same kind of support to others.”