Oksana, 52, represents a current situation for many refugee women. Oksana is a Ukrainian woman who fled the war and left behind her whole life, her family, and her job. In September 2022, she joined Dress for Success’ Work Readiness Program, and last year, she landed a stable job within a large company based in Luxembourg. She has a 19-year-old daughter, Polina.

“I had a nice, decent life in Ukraine, reliable friends and a good professional career (master’s degree in teaching), but everything changed dramatically after the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war in February 2022. For the sake of my daughter, I made the decision to leave my country and to move to Luxembourg. I want her to be safe and to have the opportunity of a better future. I had to start everything from scratch. I consider myself a strong person, but this situation was too much even for me,” Oksana says.

Oksana is proud to be a Global Ambassador for Dress for Success Worldwide and “will be happy if my story and experience encourage other women and help them to believe that they are strong and deserve the best.”