Extended bio
Designer, educator, workshop facilitator and mentor with extensive international experience in leading creative, participarory and child-centered learning activities and spaces—with focus on art, design, and STEM. I am passionate about fostering children and young people’s participation and autonomy, building authentic relationships with them, and empowering them to take ownership of their learning and life journeys.
View CV in PDF →
Quick links
Profile
Trained in psychology and social design, my approach is process-oriented, relational, and grounded in co-creative methods that actively involve children and young people—valuing their ideas, lived experiences, and perspectives as experts in their own lives. I believe my role as an educator and design facilitator is to make space for curiosity, critical thinking, and personal expression, and I aim to nurture that through hands-on, co-creative, playful, and inquiry-based methodologies.
As a big-picture thinker and generalist with diverse passions, I thrive in interdisciplinary teams—connecting ideas and translating complex contexts into tangible strategies. I’m especially excited to contribute to impact-driven projects at the intersection of design, education, and social innovation that foster more connected, caring, and sustainable communities.
Teacher Qualification Program • MTÜ ASÕP • Tallinn, Estonia
Teaching Assistant (0 to 12 years) • Instituto Norforma • Porto, Portugal
Qualifications
Apr 2025—Aug 2025
Feb 2025—Apr 2025
Values
• Integrity & authenticity
• Optimism & collaboration
• Empathy & self-awareness
Expertise
Co-creation with children
Experienced in adapting design methods to younger audiences and nurturing children’s creative confidence and critical thinking to empower them to communicate, participate, and solve authentic challenges.
Play-based education
Skilled in designing and facilitating creative learning experiences and environments based on play, free choice, open-ended exploration, joyfulness, and collaboration.
Learning for sustainability
Motivated to foster sustainable mindsets in children through hands-on and meaningful engagement with real-world environmental issues.
Toolbox
Skills
• Learning design
• Design research
• Project management
• Creative ideation
• Workshop facilitation
• Verbal & visual expression
• Team leadership
Tech
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Google Workspace
• MS Office 365
• Remote collaboration
• Online engagement tools
• Prototyping & fabrication
• Digital photography
Languages
Bulgarian • native
English • proficient
Estonian • upper intermediate
Portuguese • lower intermediate
German • beginner
Dutch • beginner
Experience
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Conducted research on learning theories and maker education practices
Planned and designed training resources and methodologies
Facilitated 5 global sharing sessions and led 3 local team trainings
Co-created a shared learning environment for 50+ global employees
Co-designed with children a card game to introduce them to design thinking
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Designed and facilitated 10+ hands-on STEAM workshops for children aged 8-15
Co-facilitated 3+ design sprints with children
Mentored 4 children in developing their idea to prototype projects
Led 3 longer creative projects collaborating with external partners
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Developed a curriculum for an elective course in social design
Co-tutored a group of 8 bachelor students on co-creation with children
CSJ International School • Coimbra, Portugal
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Taught Bulgarian language at primary level
Led a weekly design-based extracurricular activity for children aged 5-9
Substituted 10+ lessons per week across all levels from nursery to secondary
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Translated documents from English to Bulgarian and vice versa
Proofread and edited translated documents
Certified official translations
Provided DTP services
TBS Tradix OOD → Aeda OOD →
Volunteering & internships
Mar 2025—Apr 2025
Aug 2016—Jan 2017
Linnalabor — Estonian Urban Lab (funded by ERASMUS+) • Tallinn, Estonia
Dec 2015—Mar 2016
Maker Austria • Vienna, Austria
Sep 2013—Sep 2014
Die Bäckerei Kulturbackstube (funded by ERASMUS+) • Innsbruck, Austria
Aug—Oct 2008
PHODAR Foundation • Sofia, Bulgaria
Jan—Feb 2008
FORA Community Development Foundation • Sofia, Bulgaria
Jan—Jun 2007
Career Center at St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia • Sofia, Bulgaria
Au Pair experience
Oct—Dec 2011 • Roosendal, The Netherlands
Degree studies
Sep 2014—Jun 2016
MA in Social Design • dieangewandte • Vienna, Austria
Sep 2009—Jan 2010
Semiotics • Univeristy of Tartu (funded by ERASMUS) • Tartu, Estonia
Sep 2008— Jun 2010
MA in Advertising Communication • New Bulgarian University • Sofia, Bulgaria
Sep 2004—Jun 2008
BA in Psychology • St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia • Sofia, Bulgaria
Certificate courses
Oct 2022—Jun 2023
Sustainable Architecture (33/60 ECTS completed) • ESAP • Porto, Portugal
Mar—May 2019
Documentary Photography • EKA Open Academy • Tallinn, Estonia
Jan—Mar 2019
Photography & Creativity • EKA Open Academy • Tallinn, Estonia
Feb—Apr 2017
Book Illustration • EKA Open Academy • Tallinn, Estonia
Jan—Mar 2013
Fine Arts & Languages • Jaruplund Højskole • Handewitt, Germany
Jan—Jun 2012
Art & Design • Odder Højskole • Odder, Denmark
Sep 2007—Jun 2008
Photography • St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia • Sofia, Bulgaria
Other trainings
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Dec 2025 • Supporting Children’s Participation • Child Protection Hub PDF →
Nov 2025 • ECIS Level 2 Certificate in Child Protection • ECIS PDF →
Nov 2025 • Child Participation Principles, Methods and Tools • UNICEF PDF →
Nov 2025 • Meaningful Child and Youth Participation in Public Decision-Making • Child Protection Hub PDF →
Nov 2025 • An Introduction to Children and Young People’s Participation in Decision-Making • Hub na nÓg | Young Voices in Decision-making PDF →
Feb 2025 • Educational Assistant • Norforma PDF →
Dec 2024 • Graphic Design Specialization • California Institute of the Arts & Coursera • PDF →
May 2024 • Facilitator Masterclass • Facilitator School • PDF →
Apr 2024 • Entrepreneurship: Turning Ideas into Business • University of Coimbra • PDF →
Jul 2023 • Creating a Natural Habitat for Learning • Teacher Tom’s World • PDF →
Mar 2023 • The Empowered Educator: Partnering with Parents • Teacher Tom’s World • PDF →
Feb 2023 • Play-based Learning • Teacher Tom’s World • PDF →
May 2022 • Introduction to the Learning Through Play Experience Tool • The LEGO Foundation • PDF →
May 2022 • Social Learning and Collaboration in School • The LEGO Foundation • PDF →
Nov 2021 • The Technology of Speaking with Children So They Can Think • Teacher Tom’s World • PDF →
Mar 2021 • Coping with Changes: Social-Emotional Learning Through Play • The LEGO Foundation • PDF →
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ongoing • Equity and Inclusion in Education • The SDG Academy
ongoing • The Best Start in Life: Early Childhood Development for Sustainable Development • The SDG Academy
2024 • Competency-Based Education: The Why, What, and How • MITx
2023 • Design Thinking for Leading and Learning • MITx
2023 • Design in the Classroom • Cooper Hewitt & the Smithsonian Design Museum
2020 • Tinkering Fundamentals • The Exploratorium
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Dec 2024 • A Imagem Como Materia with Lilian Walker • Center for Visual Arts, Coimbra, Portugal
Dec 2024 • Making Sense of Community Engaged Research with Stuart R. Poyntz • CES, Coimbra, Portugal
Nov 2024 • Signo: Exploring Values in the Design Process • Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS, Porto
Nov 2024 • Fictions: Process & Prototypes • Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS, Porto
Nov 2024 • Creative Change for the Common Good with Stuart Walker • DeCA at the University of Aveiro, Portugal
Apr 2024 • Distributed Design Impact Cohort • Distributed Design Platform
Mar 2024 • Geração Coolectiva Idea Generation and Capacity-Building Program • Coimbra, Portugal
Nov 2023 • Mud Matters • Porto Design Biennale, Portugal
Dec 2023 • Cerâmicas Que Nutrem a Terra with Teresa Branco • Porto Design Biennale, Portugal
Feb 2019 • Luminograms with Elvira Akzigitova • Baltic Analog Lab, Riga, Latvia
Dec 2019 • Large Format Photography • Baltic Analog Lab, Riga, Latvia
Feb 2019 • Design for non-designers • Velvet Academy, Tallinn, Estonia
Oct 2019 • Watercolor Painting with Andrei Kedrin • KUMU, Tallinn, Estonia
Feb 2018 • Linoprint with Mariia Bonchuk • Wednesday Sketching, Tallinn, Estonia
Nov 2018 • Creative Illustration with Daria Horb • Wednesday Sketching, Tallinn, Estonia
Feb 2017 • Skoone Activity Belt Workshop • Baltic Urban Lab, Tallinn, Estonia
Sep 2017 • Collective Imaginings • Tallinn Architecture Biennale, Tallinn, Estonia
Sep—Dec 2016 • Ideinik Gradska Sreda Urban Space Competition • Sofia, Bulgaria
Nov 2012 • Failed Architecture Mobile • Sofia Architecture Week, Bulgaria
Nov 2012 • Making Zines • Sofia Architecture Week, Bulgaria
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Jul 2024 • Sustainable Materials for Design • Elisava Barcelona School of Design and Engineering
Jul 2019 • Future Retreat International Summer School • Kaunas, Lithuania
Jul 2018 • Illustration Summer School • The Illustration School, Porto, Portugal
Apr 2016 • Co-creating Urban Spaces Winter School • Reykjavik, Iceland
Sep 2014 • Designing Places of Emancipation • TU Wien, Austria
Jul 2012 • Art and the City • INNES Vienna, Austria
Aug 2012 • Event City Riga Technical University International Summer School • Cesis, Latvia
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Mar—Jun 2024 • Portuguese language course B2 • University of Coimbra, Portugal
Feb 2024 • Portuguese language course B1 • University of Coimbra, Portugal
Oct—Dec 2023 • Portuguese language course A2 • University of Coimbra, Portugal
Sep 2020—Dec 2020 • Estonian language course C1 • Multilingua, Tallinn, Estonia
Sep 2017—Feb 2019 • Estonian language course B2 • Opus Lingua, Tallinn, Estonia
Apr 2016 • Advanced German Language • DeutschAkademie, Vienna, Austria
Mar—Jun 2014 • Intermediate German Language • University of Innsbruck, Austria
Oct—Nov 2013 • Intermediate German Language • Volkshochschule Tirol, Innsbruck, Austria
May 2013 • Pre-intermediate Estonian • Emajõe Keeltekool, Tartu, Estonia
Jul 2011 • Estonian Language and Culture • Tallinn University Summer School, Tallinn, Estonia
Jul 2011 • Grundtvig-Workshop for Dutch Language and Culture • Antwerp, Belgium
Aug 2010 • Estonian Language and Culture, University of Tartu Summer School, Tartu, Estonia
Jul 2008 • Dutch Language and Culture, Zeist, Netherlands
Group exhibitions
Dec 2022 • The Colors of Messejana • Buinho Creative Hub • Messejana, Portugal
May 2019 • Selfi • Estonian Academy of Arts • Tallinn, Estonia
Jun 2016 • Fokus Angewandte • Die Angewandte Graduation Show • Vienna, Austria
Jun 2015 • Art vs. Design, Young Art International • OHO • Oberwart, Austria
Oct 2008 • Signs of the City: Metropolis Speaking • House of Cinema • Sofia, Bulgaria
Mar 2005 • The World Today • Paris Gallery • Sofia, Bulgaria
Artist residency
Sep—Dec 2022 • Buinho Creative Hub • Messejana, Portugal
Hire me!
I’m currently based in Coimbra, Portugal, and open to local, hybrid, and remote collaborations on projects that align with my expertise in design and education.