Sharing their stories: OSU alumnus, current student discuss journey to America from war-torn homes

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Media Contact: Hailey Rose Viars | Communications Specialist | 405-744-5496 | hviars@okstate.edu

Oklahoma State University has always been focused on meeting the needs of Oklahoma, a state that historically has welcomed immigrants. 

As with native Oklahomans, higher education is a critical component in helping immigrants to achieve personal and career success. In February this year, GLOBAL magazine asked one of OSU’s most successful immigrant graduates, Ban Nguyen, to meet with more recent additions to Oklahoma and OSU. 

Nguyen, co-founder and CEO of Jimmy’s Egg, is a 1984 Management Information Systems (MIS) graduate of OSU who came to the U.S. as a refugee following the Vietnam War. 

Lisa Skorniakova is a freshman also studying MIS who came to America from Ukraine because of the ongoing war between her homeland and Russia.  

The following is a shortened version of the candid dialogue between these two individuals with shared yet distinct experiences at OSU — an alumnus who navigated life as a refugee student and a newly enrolled refugee student beginning her academic journey.

Ban Nguyen  

Hello, Lisa. How long have you been here?  

Lisa Skorniakova  

I have been in America for two years, but at OSU for almost one month.  

Ban  

I was born in Vietnam. In 1975, when the war between the North and South ended, I was on the South side — the losing side. When the North took over, we had to escape the country. I arrived in Tulsa when I was 13, but getting here wasn’t easy. We didn’t leave freely — we had to escape. But once we made it out, the government accepted us into a refugee program. I came straight to Tulsa, where I was able to go back to junior high, then high school, and eventually college.   

Since I was still young when I left Vietnam, I didn’t know any English. That was the hardest transition for me. When I was thrown into junior high, I struggled to adapt to the language and the culture. I got bullied by people who thought they knew what Asians were supposed to be like, mostly from what they saw on TV. They assumed I knew Kung Fu or karate, so they would test me. I just wanted to be treated like a normal person.   

My four years of college were the best time of my life. I found myself. I got to hang out with friends and experience new things. I wasn’t exceptional or super smart, but I did enough to graduate with my degree in MIS.   

Lisa  

I just turned 18 two weeks ago, so I’ve lived in Ukraine my whole life. I grew up in the capital with my family, and we traveled a lot.   

In 2022, the war started. So, my mother, my sister, and I moved to France. I didn’t know any French; my language skills were like your English, basically zero. So, I had to learn both French and English at the same time. I was in collège, which in France is like middle school (for ages 11-14). My teachers told me I couldn’t use my phone to translate, so I had to learn French and English without it. It was really, really hard. But no one bullied me, everyone was really kind and they supported me a lot.   

Later, my father moved to France, too, and we lived together like we did in Ukraine. My father is a software engineer. When he moved to France, he continued working online for his job in Ukraine. Eventually, my dad got a new job, and they helped move us to America. We didn’t know much about the U.S. at first, but his work explained everything to us. That’s how we ended up here in Tulsa.   

My brother is still in Ukraine; he’s part of the Ukrainian military. Every day, my family and I are really scared for him because we love him so much. We’re also really worried about the situation in Ukraine and in the world. He’s 24 years old. 

It’s a completely different situation over there. You see it on TV, but you never really know what it’s like.   

Ban   

So, was your family, your dad, able to get refugee status?  

Lisa  

No, not like you. In France, we were considered refugees, but not here. In the U.S., it’s Uniting for Ukraine (a Department of Homeland Security initiative for displaced Ukrainians impacted by the war. Ukrainians with a supporter in the U.S. may be considered for parole, on a case-by-case basis, for up to two years.)  

Ban    

I went through that when I was young — war was all I knew growing up. I was always aware there was a war, but I never saw it firsthand because my father was a high-ranking officer. He protected us from it. I never witnessed it directly, but I could hear the bombing and fighting.  

Lisa  

I never saw it either, but my brother sees it every day because he’s so close to Russia.  

My grandparents live in Bucha, near Kyiv. When Russia invaded Ukraine, it was really bad. Bucha was in a terrible situation. My grandparents were lost for a while because Russian soldiers came to their home, took them outside, and told them they had to hand over their phones, or they would break them.  

Ban  

Was OSU the only school you applied to?  

Lisa  

I heard a lot about OSU and even did some projects related to it in high school. But at first, I thought I would go to Tulsa Community College because it’s affordable, and I didn’t know much about scholarships.  

Brian Allen (an OSU alumnus in Tulsa) helps students get scholarships and get into universities or colleges. I heard about him and thought maybe he could help me, too.

Ban  

In junior high and high school, I was very shy and never really left my family. I think I told you the reason I chose OSU, it was close to home. That’s why it was the only school I applied to.  

My plan was to go home every weekend and work so I could afford my car. Do you go home a lot, and you just stay here?  

Lisa  

I try to go home every weekend, but sometimes, like now, I have an exam this week and next week. So, I’ll stay here to study.  

Ban  

Yeah, during my freshman year, for the first two months, I went home a lot to work. But then I realized how fun college was, so I stopped going home. I stayed here, met people, and eventually quit my job. Of course, I took out a student loan to cover expenses.  

Lisa  

I applied for a student loan to pay for this semester.  

Ban  

Back then, I had a student loan, a Pell Grant, and an Oklahoma Tuition Grant. My father’s income was really low, so when I did my budget, I realized I didn’t have to work; I had enough money to pay for college.  

So, I stayed on campus, met new friends, and started going out. That’s how I came out of my shell. I was very shy and mostly kept to myself, but that was the time when I really, I guess the word is blossomed. I figured out what I wanted to do, developed my personality, and learned how to talk to people and have fun.  

I lived in the dorm for two years before joining a fraternity. You know about fraternities and sororities, right? It was expensive, but joining took my college experience to another level.  

I think having a well-rounded experience is important. In college, I saw students who only studied, and honestly, some of them had no personality. Then there were the ones who only partied, and they didn’t get anywhere because their grades suffered. The most successful people I knew were the ones who balanced both. They partied, but they also knew when to stop and focus on school.  

That’s how I lived my life. As a person, you know when you’ve had too much of something — too much partying, too much work, even too much food. It’s all about balance. If I partied too much one week, I knew I had to buckle down and study the next.  

Lisa  

I’m really trying to focus on studying English right now. Learning English is my biggest fear.  

Ban  

I understand that. Are you able to make a lot of friends?  

Lisa  

I want to have fun too, but I know I worked really hard to get here, and I understand that I need to focus on studying right now.  

Ban  

Being a minority and not speaking English fluently comes with its challenges. But experiencing different cultures and learning from them gives you a unique perspective. One thing I’ve learned is that this country rewards people who work hard and keep trying. Eventually, your efforts will be recognized.  

We might struggle with English, but when it comes to math, it’s a different story. In Europe, Ukraine, and Asia, I was studying calculus and geometry in seventh grade. When I came here, kids in seventh grade were still learning basic math — I couldn’t help but laugh in my junior high school because the education levels were so different.  

Lisa  

My brother prefers to stay in Ukraine. His biggest goal in life is to become a pilot. He started university in Ukraine studying engineering because he loves airplanes. Whenever my family and I traveled, I would always take pictures of airplanes and send them to him, saying, “Look at this plane!”   

He called on my birthday, and we were able to talk for a little while. And he told me more about it. He said he saw bodies in houses and on the streets, with animals feeding on them.

Ban  

But I do remember in my neighborhood, a lot of my brother’s friends were drafted and went to war — they never came back. My brother, though, had a bad heart, so he couldn’t be drafted and got to stay home.  

Are there many Ukrainians at OSU?  

Lisa  

I only know two Ukrainian people here.  

Ban  

When I came in as a freshman, there weren’t many Vietnamese students. But by my sophomore and junior years, more started coming, so we were able to form a student group.   

In Oklahoma and the U.S., there are so many opportunities — honestly, much more than in Vietnam or Ukraine. Make the most of it.  

Lisa  

Do you have any advice for how to be successful here?   

Ban  

To me, this country offers so many opportunities. You don’t have to be an engineer or a doctor — just find something you enjoy, work hard, and you’ll succeed. The main thing is, it won’t come to you; you have to go out and get it.  

When I grew up, I saw a lot of people, and even though my English was broken, I still loved communicating with others. I never felt shy about it. If someone made fun of my broken English, I knew that person wasn’t for me, and I wouldn’t hang around them. You have to find true friends. That’s how I chose my friends. 

There’s a lot of opportunity here, whether it’s getting a certificate or a diploma. With my three kids, I never pushed them into any specific career. I didn’t say they had to be a doctor or a lawyer. They each chose their own path.   

Lisa  

What do you wish that people at OSU knew about you when you were here?  

Ban  

When I went to college, I didn’t really envision where I’d end up today. I never really thought about it; I just went through the motions, tried to coexist with everyone, and did my best. I didn’t expect much from OSU. I was just like, “Give me my degree, let me graduate, and then I’ll find a job somewhere.” I rushed through my four and a half years at OSU. To me, it was just an institution that teaches you how to learn, and that’s it. I just wanted the knowledge and to do my best.  

I did have some really tough teachers, though. There was one in my management class, a Vietnam vet. He was a colonel or something, and he had a rough experience, so he didn’t treat me very well. But that was just one thing, and you learn to survive. I didn’t expect anything from OSU. To me, I was just another number among the 20,000 students.  

Dr. Randy Kluver  

Ban, you have continued to support OSU, your alma mater. Can you talk about why this is important for you? 

Ban  

At certain times, things just happen. I don’t know — my best man’s daughter was killed in a drunk driving accident in Alabama. She was an international student studying business. The only reason I got connected with OSU was because he was my best man. So, I connected with the OSU Foundation and created a scholarship for international students in her name. That was the only reason I got involved — taking something bad and trying to give back to my best man, for his daughter.  

Then my name got thrown out there, and one day, Dean Eastman tracked me down. He really took a liking to me, and we became friends. For me, if I meet someone once, and they become part of my circle, I’ll do anything for them. I didn’t want to make a name for myself — it just happened. I got involved with different departments, and here I am.  

Dr. Kluver  

Lisa, what do you wish people at OSU knew about you?  

Lisa  

It’s hard to say because I haven’t done something really big in my life like Ban. Because I’m just in the process. High school was more difficult than here, but I think people here actually want to be here. I really like it. I really like the people. I’m just trying to do my best.   

Ban  

It took me seven or eight years to really acclimate to the United States before I even went to college. It just takes time to adjust.   

Just remember, college is the best time of your life. Believe it or not, all my closest friends today are the same ones I made in college. Some of them even became my lawyer or financial advisor — people I still trust. I know it might be harder for girls to meet people, but at some point, I just broke out of my shell. I started meeting people, learning about their lives, and they wanted to know about mine. You’ll be fine. This is a great place, and especially in Oklahoma, people are really friendly.  

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