Ever since I can remember, I have had the opportunity to explore different reflections of life. An Austrian mother and a Greek father bestowed upon me an international perspective that has permeated my interactions with the world. Besides the incredible experience of growing up with two different languages, my family imparted a belief in higher education to me. They gave me roots and wings. My utmost desire to learn foreign languages was supported by my father's encouraging words, “There is no mountain high enough, to overshadow one's burning passion; knowledge is power.” Echoing through my life, this sentence shaped a self-motivated person, who is flourishing in a challenging environment.

As languages were the object of my affection from a very early age, I had the pleasure of attending a private catholic high school in Vienna, which was famous for its linguistic education. At this institution, I took German, English, Latin, French and Italian. In addition to my scholastic activity, I used my summer recesses to travel to Malta, Cannes, and Florence, where I took language classes in English, French, and Italian. In each of these countries I lived with native families, which widened not only my linguistic but also my cultural horizon. Attending a course at the Accademia Italiana Moda e Design in Florence made my experience of earning a diploma in fashion design not only an artistic gain but also helped me improve my colloquial Italian.

My linguistic experience provided a fruitful ground for my studies at the European Schools for Higher Education in Administration and Management. This institution offered me an education in many fields, such as management, marketing, law, economics, international relations, accounting, taxation, and word processing. However, the challenging part of my studies was my intense concentration on languages consisting of lessons in oral communication, economic terminology, commercial correspondence, and translation in German, English, French and Italian. My internships in international companies and my work as a translator have affirmed my focus on languages.

This cosmopolitan outlook was furthered by my studies in the United States of America. I initially went to New York City as an exchange student, but I fell in love with the American way of life and decided to transfer. Completing my Bachelor's degree at Pace University enabled me to combine my three passions: languages, art, and business. Apart from my academic activities, which brought out the passion for a new language - Spanish -, my 6-month practical training in a nonprofit off-off-Broadway Theater gave me insight into the Manhattan art scene and inspired me to work on my own artistic development. Moreover, New York's international nature afforded me the opportunity to use efficiently my linguistic skills, while endeavoring to overcome cultural, national and language barriers and forming significant friendships with people from all over the world.

I am grateful and happy to have chosen to do my Master’s at an Ivy University as the next step of my scholastic development. The graduate program at Columbia University provided me with vital skills and knowledge in my intended field of study and helped me gain proficiency in languages and literature while allowing me to dedicate myself to Romance literature and enjoy the greatest writers in their native languages. At that time, being the first and only student to be accepted to this brand new program that for the first time provided an education in more than just one Romance language enabled me to make a big step ahead in my academic career.

Having seen beyond the narrow vision of the world, the time had come, where I felt the desire to go back to the roots and apply the knowledge I had gained in my hometown. Now I possessed the necessary linguistic background, the will and opportunity to use, build on and most importantly to pass on my linguistic skills and knowledge in Vienna’s challenging and diverse environment. Owing my own translation and interpreting agency and working as a language coach for international companies, I have opened the door to a fulfilling professional future.