Oleksandr “Olek” Onikiienko works on the production line at Association for Vision Rehabilitation and Employment (AVRE) in Binghamton, NY.
Olek was both surprised and happy when he learned of the honor. “It was a surprise because I have worked here a little more than a year. I didn’t expect this,” he said, adding there aren’t employee of the year programs in his native Ukraine. “Just a year ago, I was happy to get this job.”
Born in Ukraine, at 8 Olek realized he was losing his vision. While his family hoped to reverse or slow the progression, a procedure unfortunately made his condition worse. As his vision deteriorated, Olek remained positive. After high school, he went to university, earned a law degree, and met his wife, with whom he started and ran a law practice. In 2012, they had their first child. Olek subsequently opened a second business, and a daughter joined the family.
In February 2022, Olek’s life was upended by the war between Russia and Ukraine. It was dangerous to stay in their small village, so Olek and his family endured a challenging journey to join extended family in New Jersey. They crossed 50 checkpoints in Ukraine alone before making it to a Polish airport. There were canceled flights, layovers in three countries, and a nearly 19-mile walk from Tijuana, Mexico, to San Diego, CA, before they finally flew to Newark, NJ.
AVRE’s management team nominated Olek for the award as he has made a positive impact since joining the team. “Olek works on numerous product lines and exceeds expectations in all areas,” they wrote in the application. “His work ethic is second to none.”
When Olek started with AVRE, he worried about how he would fare. “My language isn’t very good. I was worried about who would be my boss. But I met pretty good people.”
One of those people is Production Manager Luigi DiRusso, who has nothing but praise for Olek.
“From the day that Olek came here, he has been a blessing to the agency, to his fellow workers, and to me,” Luigi said. “He always gives 120 percent and is a breath of fresh air. If I could have three or four Oleks, we would be doing wonderful here.”
It’s a turnaround for Olek. After arriving in New Jersey, he was ineligible to work in the United States and unemployed for months. Fortunately, the New York State Commission for the Blind and AVRE helped Olek obtain his work visa and a job.
“When I come to United States, I thought I don’t have a future here because I can’t drive, and my language is not good,” Olek said. “But then I came to the agency.”
At AVRE, Olek is proudest of the work he does on the tarp line, part of a Department of Defense contract. “Possibly these tarps go to Ukraine,” he said, because the U.S. is an ally to his home country and the tarps could help other Ukrainians. Olek said he has also learned on the line that, while the work came easily to him, “quality is more important than speed.”
It’s a lesson he’s now sharing with others.
“He’s instilled that in himself,” Luigi said, adding, “we have a trainee who comes to us from Haiti, and now Olek is training him.”
Luigi, who has met Olek’s wife and children, stressed that family time is very important to Olek. In his down time, when he has it, Olek said, “I love to go fishing with my family. My goal is to just get some rest.”
Olek doesn’t often rest, though. In addition to improving his English by taking classes at the American Civic Association, he is also interested in the health benefits bee production can offer and excited to start his beekeeping business, a plan that was in the works in Ukraine before he came to the U.S. He is also going to school for massage therapy, and he wants to pair his profession as a masseuse with bee production to address patients’ muscle and joint pain.