I never knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. Not as a kid, not as a teenager, not as a college student. I loved writing, working with children, solving complex problems, and making plans to change the world…but had no idea how to turn these interests into a career path.
It wasn’t for lack of trying. Over the years, I read hundreds of success stories, searching for inspiration from entrepreneurs and CEOs, activists and creators. I tried out a dizzying number of classes and part-time jobs, hoping for an epiphany that never came.
After a few years as an investment banker – the confused overachiever’s ultimate safety net – I got my Master’s in education. I hopped from charter schools to government to edtech startups, working on project management and curriculum design.
Despite my wide range of experience, I could never hold just one job. I moonlighted as a college application consultant. When I had a baby, I launched a blog for new parents. I worked as an academic editor for college professors worldwide. I also started writing articles – first in niche parenting publications, then for The Guardian, Nonprofit Quarterly, The Atlantic. Remembering my dreams of changing the world, I got involved with education nonprofits in my native Ukraine.
I was learning a lot and having fun, but still flying blind. I began to dread the question, “What do you do?” My answers always confused unwitting acquaintances, who had merely meant to make small talk, not wade through the labyrinthine mess of my attempts at self-discovery. In truth, my career didn’t make sense even to me – a fact I faced whenever I tried to wrestle my discordant experiences into a resume.
And then, I met a Ukrainian teenager with terrible English.
Inspiration from home
Olena was a superstar – an excellent student, a piano prodigy, a talented inventor. As I volunteered to mentor her through her college application process, I realized that her weak English education was a huge liability.
After studying English for years, Olena knew the basics. But with no opportunity to practice speaking, she struggled to carry on even a basic conversation.
I searched in vain for a way for Olena to improve her spoken English. Good private tutors were unaffordable; free apps and websites were riddled with quality and safety issues. And thousands of students were in the same boat as my mentee – blocked from reaching their full potential by a lack of English fluency.
Where could I find responsible English speakers willing to meet online with a foreign student each week? A solution popped into mind: the millions of US students looking for community service opportunities
And so, the idea for ENGin was born. I’d pair English learners in Ukraine with English-fluent volunteers for weekly online speaking practice. Students would improve their English; volunteers would make a difference in a peer’s life; both would learn about a new culture and make a new friend…all from the comfort of their room.
ENGin provides free, high-quality speaking practice for English learners while offering English speakers all over the world a flexible, rewarding volunteer opportunity.
I’m a huge fan of the Lean Startup methodology, so I didn’t spend time on detailed business plans. Instead, I recruited two students to join the team, created a basic website, and started spreading the word about our new program.
An instantly successful business idea
It was immediately obvious that we’d hit on something. Even the first barebones version of ENGin – no training, no curriculum, and plenty of operational blunders – attracted hundreds of participants interested in taking part in the education process.
Over the next few months, we focused on gathering feedback and refining our operations. We introduced faster onboarding, better customer service, detailed resources for volunteers, an active social media community, extra practice sessions, progress tests. We formed partnerships with schools and universities. Our team grew to fifteen people.
And I found my professional bliss. ENGin pulled together the unruly threads of my career, building on each of my prior experiences. The work I do today is a perfect fit for my skill set and my passions. And the past decade no longer feels like a confused stumble between banking, education, and writing. My journey was always heading here – I just didn’t realize it at the time.
About six months after launch, ENGin was featured on national television in Ukraine. The segment set off a chain reaction across local publications, social media and word of mouth. We’ve had many successes before and since, but this milestone stands out as a turning point – the moment when ENGin morphed from my little project to an established international organization.
Today, ENGin has nearly 5,000 participants. Our students are mastering English, gaining confidence, and forging meaningful global relationships. But we’re dreaming bigger: we hope to create an entire generation of Ukrainians who are fluent in English. I’m beyond excited to work on scaling the unique and effective model we’ve created over the past year to accelerate Ukraine’s economic growth and connect my country to the world.
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