Internal Spotlight: Luda Pinchuk

Luda Pinchuk serves as the  Case Manager for the Cleveland US Together Office. This past month, in honor of her admirable work, Linda was awarded Employee of the Month! Every day, Luda comes into the office with a smile on her face and a chipper hello for everyone who sees her.

Luda began her career with US Together in 2010, putting her multilingual background to use as an interpreter. In 2014, Luda was invited to become a case manager for Reception and Placement Program (R&P). After taking on a few cases, Luda found she had a knack for working closely with newly arrived refugees, and fell in love with her role as a case manager.

Part of what has allowed Luda to succeed as a case manager is her own background—when she arrived herself from the Ukraine nearly 20 years ago, she experienced firsthand the challenges of starting a new life in the United States. Because of her experiences, Luda knows better than anyone the importance of opportunities afforded by US Together’s R&P program. Today, Luda says that the most rewarding aspect of her job is seeing her clients become self-sufficient.

Luda acknowledges that the work we do isn’t always easy—from navigating county bureaucracy to helping clients avoid fraudulent telemarketers, successfully resettling a refugee can be a tricky business. However, because of the dedication and hard work of case managers like Luda, US Together is equipped to help new arrivals overcome these challenges and become successful employees, neighbors, and leaders. One way Luda has achieved this success for her clients is her tireless advocacy for programs such as Micro Enterprise Development. Through this program, many of her Ukrainian clients—who often are college-educated, but face long waits for acceptance of their degrees in the US system—can alleviate financial and food insecurities. Nadiia, of From Scratch LLC (pictured in Community Engagement), is one of Luda’s clients and was featured at the Cleveland Flea.