Born in San Jose, California, Katya received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, with a concentration in Literature, Writing, and Modern Languages. Daughter to an American mother and a Portuguese father, she was encouraged to travel and learn languages from a young age. This led to the acquisition of four languages and counting, several formative trips, participation in study abroad programs, and living in two foreign countries. After graduation, Katya moved to Portugal for six and a half years, spending most of her time in the countryside close to the Spanish border. There she set up a youth hostel and private guesthouse, performing renovations and managing every aspect of the guest experience, curating a “home away from home” for people visiting from all over the world. At the same time, she continued her lifelong pursuit of learning through copious reading, writing, translating, piano playing, and the acquisition of skills like farming and construction abilities. She started freelancing as a language teacher for English and Portuguese and discovered she loved guiding students along the joyous ride of discovering and acquiring a foreign language. She thoroughly enjoys music (listening to, playing, and composing it) and recently joined a band. Katya believes anyone with whom you cross paths can teach you something, big or small. You just have to be open to learning it.