About

My mother is from Moscow. My father lived in Russia in the 90s, where they met. I grew up in Michigan speaking English, but Russian was always there: phone calls, kitchen talk, half-heard stories.

I studied Russian formally to connect with those roots, then fell for the broader post-Soviet пространство.

At Pitt, I majored in History, Linguistics, and International Studies. My thesis followed Bashkir nationalists negotiating with Bolsheviks in 1917-1920.

After graduating, I served in AmeriCorps teaching ESL to Ukrainian refugees and Central Asian immigrants in Homestead: 57 students, lesson planning, and a grounding in how policy reaches people.

I completed my MA at Georgetown SFS in May 2026. Kazakhstan was formative: Almaty, Soviet planning legacies, Chinese EVs on every corner, and daily life where Russia, China, and Central Asia meet.

I build GIS tools for historical research and work on trade, energy, and national identity in Eurasia.