From Dreamer to Creator
When I was a kid, I dreamed of traveling the world, finding my place in life, living by the ocean, and writing a book, hoping to inspire others to follow their dreams. Today, I’m a Senior Product Designer based in Hawaii, originally from Belarus. I get to live by the ocean, do the work I love, and over time, many of the dreams I once held, including writing a book, became part of my reality.
My journey started with a love for art and crafts, which led me to the School of Studio & Fine Arts. However, I ultimately pursued a Bachelor of Education in English and German, followed by a Master’s in Linguistics, guided by a fascination with languages and different cultures. Years later, my path led me across the Atlantic. Fueled by curiosity and a constant hunger to learn, I’ve always been drawn to the unknown in search of meaning – and today, I get to create it. After working across different fields, the puzzle pieces finally clicked. I found myself drawn to solving problems by designing meaningful experiences for people around the globe.

Passion for Helping People Learn
I’ve always found helping people achieve their goals to be one of the most rewarding feelings in the world. My journey began with my first real job as an English and German teacher, where I supported students of all ages by tailoring learning experiences to their individual needs and aspirations. I also led research projects supporting student initiatives for UNICEF and collaborated with the British Council to develop engaging, user-centered learning content for ESL students. This deep dive into e-learning and educational platforms not only fueled my passion for teaching, but also planted the seed for my career in user experience design, showing me how meaningful it is to create tools that empower people to learn, grow, and reach their goals.

Reinvention + Leap into Tech
In one of my “other lives,” I volunteered as an interpreter at USCIS. I felt a strong urge to help immigrants navigate the system because I had been through it myself – I knew exactly how overwhelming it felt to be in a new country, facing a maze of paperwork and rules. It made me want to make their journey a little easier. At the time, I planned to study immigration law. While preparing for the LSAT, I joined Wilson Elser in Chicago as a paralegal to see if it was truly for me (and yes, watching Suits may have also nudged me to give life inside a law firm a try). Spoiler: it wasn’t.   What really lit me up though, was noticing the everyday challenges my coworkers faced, and imagining ways to make their work easier. That spark turned into an idea for a legal management app for support staff. I spent my days assisting attorneys and collecting research data, and my nights sketching my very first wireframes. And I had never felt more alive. That was the moment I made a decision to break into tech, and I never looked back.  So I took a leap of faith: I quit my job, left Chicago behind, and flew to New York for my first UX role at a startup…

READ MORE