Paula is from Libertyville, Illinois and graduated from NYU with a degree in Political Science. She pursued intensive language study through the State Department's NSLI-Y and CLS programs. After graduation, she taught English in Uzbekistan as a Fulbright ETA and in rural France with the TAPIF program before entering a career in international education. She is currently pursuing the Science, Technology, and International Affairs track in the MSFS program and is excited to combine her interest in data and technology with her prior experiences in area studies and public diplomacy. She speaks French, Bosnian, Spanish, Catalan, and Russian, and she is also conversational in Italian, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Uzbek, and German.