"I was very pleased with the SELA program. I met many other fine young people from the FSU at the absorption center."

Nadya Oleynikov's Hebrew is quite fluent and peppered with the latest slang. This is not surprising since she has been learning for the past three years in the center of Tel Aviv between the Habima National Theater and trendy Shenkin Street.

Nadya, 22, was born in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. At the age of 14 she went to the Jewish Agency office in the city and participated in its programs for Hebrew language and Jewish culture. She heard there about the SELA program for high school graduates coming on aliyah before their parents. She realized then that her future would be better off in Israel than in Uzbekistan.

Nadya came on aliyah in 1999 when she was 17. She thought her parents would be making aliyah shortly after, but they still remain in Uzbekistan. Among other reasons, they are staying to take care of Nadya's elderly grandfather. Her older sister moved to Israel in 2003. "When I first came, I missed my family a lot, but my mother visited me after a year and I went back for a visit the following year. She will be visiting for Passover. We speak often on the phone."

For the first nine months, Nadya lived at the absorption center in Carmiel in the Galilee where she attended Ulpan and also brushed up on her English and math. "I was very pleased with the SELA program. I met many other fine young people from the FSU at the absorption center."

As part of her Ulpan studies, Nadya wrote letters in Hebrew about her experiences as a young immigrant living on her own in Israel. These upbeat letters were sent to Samarkand where they were translated into Russian and published in the local Jewish newspaper. The letters encouraged others to come to Israel. "I was satisfied at the absorption center and this was evident in my writing."

She wanted to attend a mechina (a preparatory course) before enrolling in college. After moving to Holon near Tel Aviv, she learned in the one-year mechina at Tel Aviv University specifically geared to olim. "It was really great there!" she recalls.

Today, Nadya learns together with veteran Israelis. She is in her third and final year at the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo (in academic cooperation with Tel Aviv University). A major in economics and management, Nadya testifies that "staff members here are very nice and help olim who have no family in Israel."

For the one-year mechina and the first two years at the Academic College, Nadya received scholarships from the Student Authority as well as from the college.

In addition to the assistance for her first three years, the Jewish Agency's Fund for Lone Immigrant Students and Soldiers headed by Rachel Shilo helped Nadya cover the cost of her tuition towards her final year at college. This fund helps students in universities, colleges and mechina courses. The scholarship from this fund enabled Nadya to go the extra mile and complete her studies. "I really wanted to learn. If I didn't have this help I would have to find work and forgo learning."

Although Nadya's social circle includes mainly olim from the FSU, she is involved in Israeli society. During her studies, she volunteered through a community-oriented program for students that offered challenging volunteer opportunities. Twice a week, she activated children caught in the midst of bitter custody cases at a Tel Aviv crisis center where they found a safe haven.

Nadya Oleynikov finds her studies, with its many theoretical and practical courses, enjoyable and interesting. Upon graduation, she would like to find employment in her field. As the Israeli economy is slowly coming out of a recession, she knows that this is a challenge, but her positive attitude is certainly an asset.

Written by: Batsheva Pomerantz