About the Author
Raimonda Mikatavage was born in Kaunas, Lithuania, on February 24, 1962. Lithuania was Soviet-occupied and her family fled in 1972. They were admitted into the U.S. as refugees. Raimonda became a U.S. citizen in 1979.
Raimonda graduated with honors from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and a minor in Computer Science. Her postgraduate studies have been in international business. She writes an advice column for U.S. newcomers for Dirva-Lithuanian National Newspaper and a commentary for DCpages.com. In 1996, Raimonda started a publishing company called Melodija Books and has written and published two books. Her first book was for Lithuanian youth, titled Your Journey to Success. It is widely available in bookstores in Lithuania. The Open Society Fund is distributing English and Lithuanian versions of the book throughout high schools and universities in Lithuania. Raimonda’s second book is titled Immigrants & Refugees: Create Your New Life in America. Based on extensive research and the experiences of many foreign-born Americans, the book teaches personal and professional strategies for successful adjustment to life in America.
In recognition of her service on behalf of refugees and immigrants, Raimonda was nominated by the Foreign-born Information and Referral Network, Inc. (FIRN). She received a Governor’s Citation from Parris N. Glendening, Governor of Maryland. She has also been nominated to serve on the Governor’s Advisory Council for New Americans. Recently she participated in the “Dialogue on Race and Ethnicity” with members of Congress and was a panel expert at an immigration press conference.
Raimonda also hosts a television show called “Dreams in Action” for Prestige Vision Channel 3 in Westminster, Maryland. The show explores how individuals achieve their special dreams and lifetime goals, giving special focus to achievements by immigrants. Her televised seminars for immigrants called “Cultural Differences” and “Education, Work, and Money” have aired on many cable channels.
