Lessia Scott - November 2023

When Lessia Scott and her family were forced to leave Russia, they didn’t have any kind of plan in place and ended up in Maine virtually by accident — for Portland, it was a lucky chance to welcome a seasoned human resources professional with international experience and a cosmopolitan outlook. Although it took longer than she’d anticipated, Lessia eventually found a job as an HR director with one of Maine’s nonprofits: “I was fortunate to work for international companies and I was trained by my colleagues from the UK or European countries.” When it came to finding and building a community here in Portland, that was easy for someone with her skills and background. “My own family is kind of international, my husband is from Congo DRC, so he has his community here. However, both of us are really open; we’re not looking and have never been looking for any particular community in regards to the country of origin. When you’re talking to other immigrants you can definitely find a lot of things in common, regardless what country in particular you’re coming from.” For someone who has spent her life helping bring people together, the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine is particularly distressing: “I hope that what’s happening now won’t affect Russian immigrants in Maine too much.”