Grew up in Europe

I grew up in Ukraine then followed my dreams that landed me in beautiful San Francisco right after college.

Still fluent in Russian and Ukrainian! Stereotypically a big fan of Dostoyevsky and the classic ballet.

My career started in the tech industry working for startups as a designer/developer in the dot com era, where I learned early on the importance of a well connected team with shared beliefs and common goals.

In the art studio

I am a creative person. When I’m not obsessing over product designs and volunteering, I work in my metal arts studio, assisting the teacher and painting metal with flames.

It never ceases to amaze me how much designing software is similar to the process of making fine jewelry: figure out who will be wearing your ring, do a paper sketch, prototype with copper, keep changing it until you are fully satisfied, then do it all over again in silver. Don’t forget polishing and final touches, and then test it by wearing all day. :-)