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A few things I'm proud of
Best research paper award
I’m proud to have been recognized and awarded for the best bachelor’s thesis (2020) in the faculty of social sciences in the FernUniversität in Hagen, Germany. My paper with the title "Emergence of the ‘entreployee’ type under the conditions of teleworking: a matter of course or contingency" comprised empirical research that qualitatively analyzed two fully remote working and worldwide distributed companies. By looking at their organizational structure, working culture, and remote working conditions, I attempted to answer some questions regarding the influence of remote work on the previously identified shift in the workers’ relationship and disposition towards labor and self.
I have completed my BA through a distance learning program while working full-time. I graduated in Sociology (major), Political Science, and Public Administration with a 4.0 GPA.
I want to share that this was not an easy journey for me. My studies were in German, my third language, and I worked full time throughout most of my studies. This essentially meant that I dedicated most of my free time to learning. And while a distant learning program offers the flexibility of combining work and education, the trade-off is the lack of connection, interaction, and communication with peers and faculty. That said, it was a huge chance for me, and I’m thrilled to have done it!
I have completed my BA through a distance learning program while working full-time. I graduated in Sociology (major), Political Science, and Public Administration with a 4.0 GPA.
I want to share that this was not an easy journey for me. My studies were in German, my third language, and I worked full time throughout most of my studies. This essentially meant that I dedicated most of my free time to learning. And while a distant learning program offers the flexibility of combining work and education, the trade-off is the lack of connection, interaction, and communication with peers and faculty. That said, it was a huge chance for me, and I’m thrilled to have done it!
Fun fact:
I went on a backpacking trip through South America for seven months in my final year with my then-boyfriend and now husband. I carried my laptop everywhere, studying in between hikes, on buses, in tents, and everywhere in between. I also had to fly to Germany for a short visit to do my exams.
This picture, captured by my husband who criticized me for pulling out my laptop in weird places, is of me in Bolivia at the base camp at the height of 5276 m (17,309 ft).
I went on a backpacking trip through South America for seven months in my final year with my then-boyfriend and now husband. I carried my laptop everywhere, studying in between hikes, on buses, in tents, and everywhere in between. I also had to fly to Germany for a short visit to do my exams.
This picture, captured by my husband who criticized me for pulling out my laptop in weird places, is of me in Bolivia at the base camp at the height of 5276 m (17,309 ft).
This website
I'm proud to say that I have designed and created all aspects of this portfolio website using Figma and Webflow. I am completely self-taught and am very proud to have done 100% of the work that has gone into this website myself. I'm thankful for all the awesome people that took the time to create resources like blogs, articles, and YouTube videos which were instrumental to my learning. I have a true hunger for learning new things and developing new skills. So I'm grateful for the readily available resources on the world wide web. I certainly have much more to learn still, but this is a start, and I am now ready for new challenges! 🎉
I am career-fluid
Before UX, I was a professional dancer. I started dancing at the age of 4 in my hometown – Kharkiv, Ukraine. Then, at 15, I moved to Germany to attend a ballet academy in Hamburg. I worked in Germany throughout most of my professional career and had the honor and the privilege of collaborating with some of the best choreographers and dancers in the world.
Dance is and will always be a fundamental part of me. And while the two disciplines – dance and UX research and design – might seem worlds apart, I believe that my past experiences have prepared me for the job I am doing today. Some of the skills acquired through dance that I heavily rely on today are:
Dance is and will always be a fundamental part of me. And while the two disciplines – dance and UX research and design – might seem worlds apart, I believe that my past experiences have prepared me for the job I am doing today. Some of the skills acquired through dance that I heavily rely on today are:
- Teamwork, required for dancers to breathe and move together.
- Resilience to thrive as an athlete.
- Creativity, necessary to make a production.
- Deep empathy and understanding to capture and portray a character on stage.
- Ability to keep working on yourself, continuously mold your body and mind.
I speak four languages on a daily basis
I have been fortunate to have lived in different places and have had a chance to learn other cultures, customs, and languages. The process of assimilating and adapting has shaped how I understand myself and the world around me. The people, traditions, and ways of communication have profoundly influenced who I am.
Today, I live in the United States – my fourth country of residence.
Today, I live in the United States – my fourth country of residence.
- I speak Russian with my family. Some of whom live in Ukraine and some in Germany. In the future, I hope to pass Russian to my children too.
- I speak English at work and with my Israeli husband. And even though both of us speak Russian (me better than him), Hebrew (him better than me), and German – English is neither his nor my language but the one we equally feel comfortable speaking. So it remains essential to our relationship and the primary language we use.
- I use German for things like admin, catching up on the news, and previously for university. I am a proud citizen of Germany and have strong ties to the culture and country. Moreover, I spent some of my best and most formative years in Germany. Therefore, I wish not to lose the ability to speak German fluidly and exercise my memory by reading and using the language daily.
- I speak Hebrew with my husband's family but mostly with my dog. When my husband and I lived in Israel, we adopted our beautiful border collie boy Koby. There, we taught him the commands and consequently established Hebrew as our language of communication. At the time, I was learning Hebrew myself and Koby became my non-judgemental companion to help me grasp the language faster.
I speak Russian with my family. Some of whom live in Ukraine and some in Germany. Having the family spread out all over makes getting together for holidays and vacations often difficult. That’s why I treasure the little moment when we can make it happen.
In the future, I will make sure to pass Russian language to my children too.
In the future, I will make sure to pass Russian language to my children too.
I speak English at work and with my Israeli husband. And even though both of us speak Russian (me better than him), Hebrew (him better than me), and German – English is neither his nor my language but the one we equally feel comfortable speaking. So it remains essential to our relationship and the primary language we use.
I use German for things like admin, catching up on the news, and previously for university. I am a proud citizen of Germany and have strong ties to the culture and country. Moreover, I spent some of my best and most formative years in Germany. Therefore, I wish not to lose the ability to speak German fluidly and exercise my memory by reading and using the language daily.
I speak Hebrew with my husband's family but mostly with my dog. When my husband and I lived in Israel, we adopted our beautiful border collie boy Koby. There, we taught him the commands and consequently established Hebrew as our language of communication. At the time, I was learning Hebrew myself and Koby became my non-judgemental companion to help me grasp the language faster.
I speak Russian with my family. Some of whom live in Ukraine and some in Germany. Having the family spread out all over makes getting together for holidays and vacations often difficult. That’s why I treasure the little moment when we can make it happen.
In the future, I will make sure to pass Russian language to my children too.
In the future, I will make sure to pass Russian language to my children too.
I speak English at work and with my Israeli husband. And even though both of us speak Russian (me better than him), Hebrew (him better than me), and German – English is neither his nor my language but the one we equally feel comfortable speaking. So it remains essential to our relationship and the primary language we use.
I use German for things like admin, catching up on the news, and previously for university. I am a proud citizen of Germany and have strong ties to the culture and country. Moreover, I spent some of my best and most formative years in Germany. Therefore, I wish not to lose the ability to speak German fluidly and exercise my memory by reading and using the language daily.
I speak Hebrew with my husband's family but mostly with my dog. When my husband and I lived in Israel, we adopted our beautiful border collie boy Koby. There, we taught him the commands and consequently established Hebrew as our language of communication. At the time, I was learning Hebrew myself and Koby became my non-judgemental companion to help me grasp the language faster.
