My lifelong passion for literature, writing, and languages led me to a Master's in Comparative Literature at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I specialized in contemporary American and Russian fiction and wrote a thesis comparing and contrasting the parallel "New Sincerity" movements in both countries. My MA program requirements included a timed translation exam from Russian into English, which I prepared for by translating short stories, book chapters, and essays by authors such as Bunin, Tolstoy, Pelevin, and Chekhov into English each week for a semester, reviewing each translation with my advisor. The program also included a graduate seminar on translation theory. Through these experiences I acquired my fascination with translation; I love the problem-solving element and finding the best way to say something in English.

My interest in Russian language in particular took me to study abroad with the American Council of Teachers of Russian in Vladimir, Russia in college, and later to Middlebury Summer Language Schools in Vermont where I completed two intensive immersion courses at the graduate level.

My current personal pet project is a translation of Oleg Semenov's book on the life and work of my favorite Russian illustrator, Ivan Bilibin, which has never been published in English.