From Siberia to Starkville: An American Dream

Photo by Emily Daniels

By Carolanne Roberts

A brand-new car. One that could make it up a Russian hill without gasping, one in which the driver’s seat wasn’t permanently stuck in recline. The notion of that new car – to give to her parents in Siberia – became Zhenia Sandanova’s personal mission. And after earning both an undergraduate degree and an MBA from Mississippi State University, she proudly and joyfully fulfilled that promise to them.

“As a child, I joked that one day I’d buy them a fancy new foreign car, and my father would laugh with me,” she says, recalling the temperamental red Lada her parents drove (and drove) in the dark years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. “Even when other people were finally switching to new cars, my parents were investing everything they had in me and my sister. They wanted us to succeed and kept cutting themselves short so we could.”

The new car, a shiny grey Nissan, stands as a symbol of Sandanova’s success and the close relationship she maintains with her parents, both university professors halfway around the world. As an Enterprise Financial Analyst at International Paper in Memphis, she continues the personal journey begun at age 15 when she landed in Tupelo – after hours of travel and four layovers – to attend high school in neighboring Saltillo.

“I had learned British English in my home school,” she says, recalling encountering the Mississippi Southern accent. “There were so many expressions, like, ‘How ’bout them apples?’ I’d say, ‘What apples?’”

A quick study who also knows some German, Sandanova found the puzzle pieces falling into place. A good year in Saltillo was followed by a return to her Russian high school, then she came back to Mississippi and attended Itawamba Community College. Entering Mississippi State as a junior, what had been the glimmer of an idea to pursue a finance degree took hold. It turned out to be the right school and the right degree.

“I felt such support from the school,” says Sandanova, recalling one particular day when, as she prepared for an internship interview, she realized her wardrobe looked more student-casual than aspiring professional.

The Dress Your Best Closet in the College of Business was able to help outfit her from the ankles up. Something was still missing, however.

“I definitely didn’t have the right shoes,” she says. “Then Dean [Sharon] Oswald came out of her office, asked me my size, and gave me a pair of her own shoes for the interview! Without any hesitation, she helped me. That’s how much she cares about the students.”

Sandanova went on to make Dean Oswald, her parents and herself proud by earning an MBA. Before that, as an undergraduate she was tapped by the MSU Alumni Association to be an Alumni Delegate, serving as a liaison between students and graduates of the University. She also helped launch the International Student Organization for Languages and Cultures to provide free tutoring to foreign language students on campus. The organization remains active today.

Having dreamt of traveling, Sandanova celebrated her first graduation with an internship at FedEx in Memphis, followed by a two-week driving trip across the country, a Caribbean cruise and a return to Russia before the MBA program began.

Sandanova fulfilled her promise, and her parents traded in their old red Lada.

Photos courtesy of Zhenia Sandanova

I absolutely loved that MBA program. It’s a cohort program, and my team became a tight group of friends,” she explains of the intensive, no-moment-wasted process.

Then, with two MSU business degrees, great promise and a good offer from International Paper (IP), Sandanova faced a problem.

“I was required to go back to my home country for two years before I could even consider the job here,” she says. “But IP explained that they have large operations in Russia, which was mindblowing to me. They said I could work for them there, and then they’d bring me back to the U.S. That’s what we did. I returned a year ago.”

Sandanova’s experience and skill set are ideal for her present IP position. The Enterprise Financial Analyst role involves looking at manufacturing costs across all IP’s mills in the United States and Europe.

“I use my Russian, and it helps that I have the relationship with the mill in Russia too,” she notes.

In the country on a three-year work visa, she enjoys her time working, running and discovering Memphis.

“It’s cool to say to my Russian friends that I am in the same city where Elvis lived,” she adds.

Appointed this year to the MBA Advisory Board, Sandanova looks forward to meetings in Starkville when the COVID-19 situation resolves.

“I’d already been back for a couple of meetings earlier in the year and hope to bring some new ideas and maybe a different perspective from the view of a recent graduate,” she explains. “I met with the MBA students who graduated this year, and they asked me about my experience. They were also networking with me as an employer, so it was interesting to see from the other side of the table.”

It is second nature for Sandanova to live in two worlds. The time difference between Memphis and her parents’ home in Siberia is 12 hours – half a day, literally night and day – but phone calls, often long ones, shrink the miles. Her parents keep up with both daughters this way; Sandanova’s sister is an orthodontist in Moscow.

“I think it was hard for them to let me go at age 15,” Sandanova says. “I basically moved out permanently except for visits home.”

On their calls, her father, an ardent NBA fan from afar, loves to talk about the Memphis Grizzlies with Sandanova. And both parents learn with interest about their daughters’ personal and professional lives.

“Every time we call them, they say, ‘Today is a holiday because we get to talk to you!’ I know they miss us so much, and our calls make them so happy,” Sandanova says.

Sandanova’s sister, two years her elder, was born in the Soviet Union before its collapse; Sandanova’s birth certificate, on the other hand, reads Russia. Their parents never dwell on the tough era when their girls were born – sleeping on fold-out couches, selling food and handicrafts on the street, eating mostly porridge and soup.

We didn’t realize it was such an historic time we were going through,” she remarks. “All we remember was being surrounded with love. If you’re happy at home, you really don’t know what you don’t have.

When, in the future, Sandanova’s parents come here to visit – get ready, Grizzlies! – that trip will most certainly include an excursion to Starkville to celebrate the site of their daughter’s achievements and success.

“You know, I had a choice of Ole Miss or Mississippi State,” Sandanova says. “State sent me handwritten letters and all these handwritten postcards. I was so touched, and it felt like family.

“It still feels like family now.”

Growing up during a challenging era in their country’s history, Sandanova and her sister knew only that they were in a happy, loving home.

Photos courtesy of Zhenia Sandanova