Russian student earns degree from NIU, prepares to work in New York City

DeKALB – Tears flowed down Olga Grachev’s face Sunday afternoon when she heard her son’s name announced during Northern Illinois University’s winter commencement at the Convocation Center.

“Oleg Grachev!” an NIU public announcer said.

Oleg Grachev walked the stage with pride. He never imagined graduating with a double major in finance and economics, considering everything he’s overcome.

Grachev was determined to get his degree, however. In a couple of months, he’ll begin working as an investment banking analyst at J.P. Morgan in New York City.

The 22-year old DeKalb resident went through hell and back, however, in his words.

His journey started in Blagoveshehensk, Russia, as a gay teenager.

‘You’ll never walk again’

Doctors told Olga Grachev her son would never walk again.

“They said he would be paralyzed from the neck down,” she recalled.

She didn’t want to believe them, so she never told her son, who became paralyzed after breaking his neck during an accident at a swimming pool.

The timing of everything made it all worse. He broke his neck in March 2012 and was supposed to move to the U.S. as an international student in August 2012.

He didn’t let his freak accident keep him from achieving his dreams. In the span of five months, Oleg Grachev slowly started to recover.

His mom bought him different types of shoelaces so he could remember simple finger movements.

“She wanted to train my arms and my fingers,” he said. “Little exercises here and there, I slowly started to gain more strength in my arms. The doctors saw my recovery progressing, and they saw some hope.”

Before he knew it, Oleg Grachev
miraculously was back on his feet before August.

He remembered during the first few times he tried to stand up, he fell instantly. It was like remembering to ride a bike, he said.

Just as planned, he was ready to begin his senior year of high school in the U.S.

‘You imagine America to be like New York or Chicago’

Once Oleg Grachev arrived in the U.S., he had to do a double take.

His international exchange program, “Future Leaders Exchange,” placed him in Paw Paw or, as he puts it, “the middle of nowhere.”

“When I found out where I was placed for the exchange program, my first reaction was literally to go online and search for Paw Paw,” he said.

He noticed its close proximity to Chicago and was excited to get started. But once here, he experienced a bit of culture shock. In his mind, America was all about big buildings and big cities. Paw Paw has a population of about 800.

“When you come from Russia, you imagine America to be like New York or Chicago,” Oleg Grachev said. “I was kind of shocked when I got here. But I was still determined to get my education.”

At Paw Paw High School, he excelled in nearly all his classes.

He was so happy and successful, he realized he wanted to stay in the U.S. for college and pursue a business degree. His realization, however, came a bit late – most universities’ application periods already were closed by the time he made his decision to stay in the spring.

Oleg Grachev applied to the University of Chicago and instantly was denied.

“I wasn’t prepared,” he said.

Then he discovered NIU.

Grachev found out NIU’s admissions office still was accepting applications into the summer. He applied, and only a few weeks later, was accepted.

The good news didn’t end there. The university offered him an international student scholarship, which essentially cut his tuition in half, he said.

“My family would have never been able to handle the burden of a United States education,” Oleg Grachev said. “Having that support from NIU since the beginning has helped us greatly.”

Coming out

A few weeks before taking his first final exams during the winter of his freshman year, Oleg Grachev texted his mom.

“I’m gay,” the message read in Russian.

His mother was shocked. He said the news affected the pair’s relationship for at least a year.

“It took her time to come around, but now she’s super-proud of me and what I’ve been able to achieve here,” he said.