Victoria Barmak

Victoria Barmak
Honorary Delegate (Missouri)
Resettled Refugee from the Former Soviet Union

Victoria Barmak is a Refugee Congress Honorary Delegate from Missouri. She came to the U.S. as a refugee from the Soviet Union in 1990.

Barmak’s first memories in the U.S. are a mix of stress and anxiety. As a teenager, she suddenly found herself in the role of her parents’ parent. Her English skills, though limited, made Barmak her family’s only advocate, and the task was a huge burden that made her personal transition to her new life quite difficult.

Today, Barmak serves as Director of Language Services at Bilingual International Assistance Services, a non-profit organization in St. Louis that provides mental health and social and legal services to immigrants and refugees. She has a bachelor’s in psychology and is pursuing a master’s in communication.

Barmak’s motivation for becoming a part of the Refugee Congress was quite personal. Many years ago, her father was not receiving the assistance he needed because of his accent, and Barmak realized that a lot of people misunderstand something crucial about immigrants and refugees: just because someone does not speak English does not mean he or she is unintelligent or simple-minded. This is exactly why she wanted to become a Delegate.

“I am proud to be a part of the team of dedicated individuals that empowers new immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers with information, resources and support, and with respect to their basic human dignity.”

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