Image
Olya is the Project Coordinator of Saiga Conservation Alliance’s (SCA) Uzbekistan program, where she works with local communities to protect the critically endangered saiga antelope. Raised by a family of dedicated biologists, Olya learned at a young age to appreciate the remarkable beauty and value of the environment of Uzbekistan. She began volunteering with SCA as a teenager and quickly discovered the complexity of conservation, being tied to economic, political and social issues of the region. Her early community work led her to pursue a degree in Psychology from the University of New York in Prague. She has been active in conservation leadership having been a delegate at the Youth Forum for People and Wildlife, Conservation Optimism Summit, and Global Youth Summit. She is a founding member of Youth for Wildlife Conservation, has received a Young Conservation Leadership Award, and has presented at Wildlife Conservation Network Expo’s, given a TEDx talk and more. Olya is currently working to complete her psychology degree and is designing a new conservation project in the Aral Sea region of Uzbekistan.