TATYANA COLEMAN PUTS IN THE WORK
Tatyana Coleman, born in the Donbas region of Ukraine, came to the United States with three children and without speaking any English.
She now owns four dry cleaning, alteration and bridal stores across Greeley and Loveland. After learning English and making enough money cleaning houses to put herself through business school at the University of Northern Colorado, now she brags that other people are cleaning her house now.
These days she’s an evangelist for hard work, and demonstrates it, sometimes staying at her store in Loveland, Love Bridal by Tatyana, until midnight trying to satisfy customers.
We chatted with her about effort, English, and the situation her homeland faces.
1. You’re now a successful business owner, but you weren’t always. How did you get to where you are today?
I have worked very hard all my life. My life in the Soviet Union was hard. I grew most of my food, had livestock and worked. I came from a family with eight children and grew up in rural Ukraine. When I immigrated to the US I was determined to make something of my life. When I first arrived I did not speak a word of English. First I cleaned houses, then I started working in the hospitals. There were times when I worked three jobs, two full time and one part-time. All of this while raising my three daughters (Anastaysia, Inna and Natasha). In time I was able to buy a house, then I bought a second house. All of this I accomplished through hard work. I try to show my five grandchildren hard work helps you succeed.
2. You got a business degree from one of the best business schools in the region. What challenges did you encounter?
The main challenge in earning my degree was learning English. At the time I started college I had been in the US for nine years. And although I spoke English pretty good, my reading and writing was not very good. I started college when I married my husband and moved to Greeley, I started at Aims College in the ESL classes. Then I took pre-college classes in English. So I went to college for years before I started taking college level classes. In total it took me 5 1/2 years to complete my BS degree. In my last semester I took 21 units and graduated in December of 2015.
3. You’re originally from Ukraine. How has the recent conflict impacted you and your family?
The conflict in Ukraine is hard on me. I am from the Donbas region. About half my family lives on the Russia side and the other half on the Ukraine side. Some of them moved to Russia after the invasion, most have stayed. I worry about them. The young men in my family are scared and have tried to avoid conscription, though some have been caught and forced to fight. Thankfully no one has died but one nephew was seriously wounded.
4. You said that you have family on both sides of the conflict. How does that affect how you digest the news out of your home country?
Russia should not have started this war. Russia should not have attacked Ukraine because we are supposed to be brother and sister. It makes me sick to think of all the innocent lives lost in this war. I watch some Russian shows on Youtube and I watch some Ukraine sources. It is sometimes hard to see who says the truth and who lies.
5. Do you have any advice for others who want to improve their own situations?
Believe in yourself and work hard. You can do it. The key to success is to not leave for tomorrow what you can do today. (Abe Lincoln).