Background and interests

About

Last updated 2026-09-13

I'm a UCLA computer science graduate with a minor in anthropology, now working toward an M.S. in computer science at Northeastern University in Vancouver, BC (expected June 2028). I'm from Almaty, Kazakhstan, went to high school at Concord College in rural England, spent my undergraduate years in Los Angeles, and now live in Vancouver.

A general education class in linguistic anthropology made me more curious about how people think and talk within their languages. Having lived in three countries, I spend a lot of time thinking about how different cultures work and how I fit into them. Some of that also comes through in why I changed my name.

At UCLA, I served as president of the Russian-Speaking Student Association (rebuilt to 80+ members) and co-founded the Central Asian Student Union. Both mattered to me because they made a very large university feel smaller and gave people of shared culture a place to find one another.

I also spend a lot of time following professional Counter-Strike 2 and the NBA: podcasts, stats, roster moves, and storylines. Alongside the master's, I'm looking for Summer 2027 Software Engineering Co-ops.

Education

  • Northeastern University (Vancouver, BC) — M.S. in Computer Science (Expected June 2028)
  • University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) — B.S. in Computer Science, Minor in Anthropology, GPA: 3.5/4.0 (June 2026)
    • Relevant Coursework: Algorithms & Complexity, Operating Systems, Distributed Systems, Computer Networks, Data Management Systems, Compiler Construction, Software Engineering

Technical Skills

  • Programming Languages: C/C++, Python, TypeScript, JavaScript, SQL, Bash
  • Frameworks & Tools: Next.js, React, React Native, Expo, Polars, Pandas, Node.js, Deno, Git, Docker
  • Data & Databases: PostgreSQL, Supabase (Edge Functions, RLS), Snappy Parquet, SQLite, pgTAP
  • Languages: English, Russian, Kazakh

You can also download my résumé as a PDF, email me, or find me on LinkedIn.