Human life is like a clock with the fast-moving long arm of short-term routine and the lethargic short arm of long-term realization of dreams. Some people like to live in their dreams; others are well grounded in tangible reality. I prefer those rare instances when the two arms of the clock meet. For me the reality is more than the daily routine, and the dream is more than escaping the noisy reality. True dreams fertilize the reality, and meaningful reality brings about dreams that can lead us.

My country is now living in the post-Soviet period. People are uncertain about their future, and stereotypes of the past still overwhelm their minds, while future-oriented thinking seems to be a luxury to them. Long-term development programs and big ideas do not make it into the mainstream of society.

My desire to break those stereotypes and do something useful for my country led me to a group of thinkers and visionaries called Ayb Educational Foundation. The founders of Ayb came from all over the world to gather around the idea of creating a new learning and culture-generating environment. Suddenly I found myself synchronized with a certain fruitful reality and vision. I felt that my dreams and efforts do matter and they have meaning in a bigger picture. At Ayb I began teaching chemistry to a group of gifted high-school students using an innovative methodology. Lessons were organized on the basis of a cross-disciplinary approach. I taught alongside a physics tutor, introducing the same phenomena from different perspectives. It was fascinating both to teach those who were eager to learn, and to crystallize my own knowledge and experience.

After a while, I realized that it was impossible to teach straight from a textbook. I felt that in order to be a good teacher I needed to get involved in research. That eventually took me to the Center of Medical Genetics and Primary Healthcare, where I participated in an exciting research project. We were using various techniques to obtain expressed and stable DNA sequences, which could be used to diagnose various genetic diseases. Besides science, the lab taught me how delicate human life is, and elevated my sense of responsibility.

The problem of ecology is a major dimension of the post-Soviet world. People are extremely careless towards their environment, just as they are careless towards their own health. In my quest to help improve my society, I joined the movement called Women for a Green Way for a Generation, a non-profit organization involved in the issues of environment, health and sustainable development. I worked on projects aiming to raise awareness of the dangers of smoking, environmental pollution, and global warming. I put my best effort to make people value their lives and be attentive towards their future.

I see the flaws of human life through the prism of my own imperfections. I am ready for change. I strive to improve; however, I do not want to overrate the significance of my own effort. My achievements will never be satisfactory to me, if they do not serve for the greater benefit of others.