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Throughout my years as a Russian Studies major in the Department of Germanic and Russian Studies (as the Department was called then), I acquired critical and analytical thinking skills as well as a passion for different cultures, customs and language. This has proved invaluable in both law school and subsequently my day-to-day law practice in which I work with a variety of people from diverse cultures and background. I am currently an Associate at Hammerberg Lawyers LLP in Vancouver, practicing personal injury law.

After graduating from UVic, I feel a deep sense of privilege for the guidance and inspiration I received from the Slavic Studies professors, who are friendly, accessible, energetic and knowledgeable. They work hard to keep their classes fresh and engaging. After applying to several graduate schools, I am fortunate enough to have been accepted at Georgetown University, where I will be pursuing a Master's degree at the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies. My goal is to continue improving on my Russian fluency while gaining a deeper understanding of Russian political culture, governance and foreign policy. With a growing expertise in these areas, I hope to one day make a positive impact on the state of US-Russia relations, which have long suffered from miscommunication and a shortage of concerned advocates.

I currently work in Toronto as a freelance writer, editor and digital consultant, and also co-own a company that does content marketing - editorial material such as articles, video, infographics, recipes, etc. for corporate client. Previous to that I worked for a number of years as a web editor in the magazine industry. The computer skills I developed as a work-study student and then full-time employee at the Computer-Assisted Language Learning Facility (it was a very popular place in the late '90s) helped me in my career, and the language skills I learned at UVic - not just in the Russian department, but through courses in Spanish, Italian and other languages - have helped me a great deal as a travel writer.

I originally chose Slavic Studies hoping to learn the Russian language, but I ended up getting much more out of my degree than mere linguistic proficiency. I’ve had the opportunity to study in St. Petersburg, Russia and in Marburg, Germany, to go on the I-witness Field School and to work at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum in Poland. I’ve learned critical writing and research skills, and have had first-hand experience with the culture and history of different parts of the Slavic world.
I am now entering law school at UCLA, and plan to put my linguistic and cultural experiences to use in the study of international human rights.

My degree in Slavonic Studies & History lead me to my career as a professional fundraiser. My first job out of university was in Moscow where I utilized my newly acquired Russian language skills  working as a Development Executive for the World Association of Girl Guides & Girl Scouts. I conducted training workshops throughout Russia and the former USSR. The critical thinking skills gained at UVic and curiosity about language and culture proved useful in other positions I have held over the years—fundraising for museums, cancer research foundations, an international school and now in my current role as Director of Development for Our Place Society. Philanthropy is about building relationships not just about raising money—and a liberal arts education encourages one to always be aware of inter-relatedness of people, societies and ideas.