Tell us a little about you.
I love math, statistics, and basically all the world’s most stereotypically boring subjects you can think of. I think programming is what makes all that mathy stuff applicable to real life, and that’s why I’m a software engineer.
Before coming to school in the US to study computer science I worked for the Ministry of Education of Russia and volunteered at a summer camp for children. To this day, using computer science and math to empower education and assistive technologies is my passion.
Besides that, I’m crazy for learning about other cultures. My dream is to speak at least 10 languages and visit all countries in the world - so far I’m only at 3 languages and about 37 countries, but at least I had a rad old film photo camera to capture it. (For real, her photos are great! You should check out her travel instagram - link below).
Tell us about what you’re wearing.
The skirt I found in a small boutique in Utah. A pair of Converse is a must-have in my closet; by now, I have retired four pairs of this same model.
The bag I got in Moscow. I can’t say these bags are very reliable, I had a couple of them grow old pretty quickly. But I just can’t resist amazing prints they have! So, life teaches me nothing.
The jacket I got in Lithuania. No story behind the heels, they are just cute.
How did your style evolve to what it is now?
I think as a teenager I went through every hair color and every clothing style. At some point I decided not to choose one style but to have it all (sorry, capsule wardrobe fans). Right now my style can be described by two rules:
- Never wear things that make me feel uncomfortable
- Always wear something different from what I wore the day before
Any advice for a young person thinking about getting into a STEM field?
If you think that STEM doesn’t have what you’re interested in, think again. There is so much more to it than coding, pizza, and computer games. I left STEM when I was 18 because I thought it was too limiting.
It took me five years to realize that it actually opens endless possibilities. You can be a freelance developer and travel all the time, you can work on socially significant projects that help humanity, you can master your social and communication skills to perfection working as a project manager, you can make animated movies and 3D effects… If you have something in mind, there is a good possibility you can do it with technology and make a greater impact.
What would you say is the project you’ve done that you’re proudest of?
Weirdly, not a flashy one but the one I had to beat my head against the wall for the most - migrating a data mining pipeline onto a completely new technology. It sounds a little boring - let’s pretend I said a toy fridge robot that comes to your office. I did that too.
What is the best way (if any) for people to follow you on social media?
I just started two travel photo accounts - @anyameetsworld! instagram
Personal instagram: anyaeats160carrots
We love Anya’s travel photos, her insatiable curiosity about anything she’s heard is boring and her straightforward approach to style. (Also, those heels!).
Until next time!
Dona & Beth