🌍 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 about my adventures—hoping to inspire others to follow their dreams. ✨ Today, I’m a Product Designer based in Hawaii, originally from Belarus. I get to live by the ocean, do work I love, and build the kind of life I once only imagined. My journey started with a love for art and crafts, which led me to the School of Studio & Fine Arts. However, I ended up pursuing my Master’s in Linguistics as I had always been fascinated by languages and drawn to different cultures. Years later, my passion for travel & exploration took me across the Atlantic in search of new experiences. 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 my purpose in solving problems and designing meaningful experiences for people around the globe.

📚 A Passion for Helping People Learn
My first job was as an English and German teacher. Helping students of all ages reach their goals was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I tailored learning experiences to each individual’s needs and aspirations, led research projects supporting student initiatives for UNICEF, and collaborated with the British Council to create engaging, user-centered learning content for ESL students. This deep dive into e-learning and educational platforms planted the seed for my passion for UX.

🔁 Reinvention & Leap into Tech
In another chapter of my life, I volunteered as an interpreter at USCIS, helping immigrants navigate the system—something I’d experienced firsthand. At the time, I was planning to become an immigration lawyer. I even worked as a paralegal at Wilson Elser in Chicago while preparing for the LSAT. But something wasn’t clicking. What really lit me up was noticing the daily friction my coworkers faced and imagining how tech could make their work easier. That spark led to an idea for a legal management app tailored for legal support staff. I spent my days assisting attorneys and collecting data for research, and my nights sketching wireframes—and I had never felt more alive. That was the moment I knew I needed to follow this path. I took a leap of faith: I quit my job, packed my bags, and flew to New York for my first UX gig at a startup. I haven’t looked back since…

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