The Story of Ms Cosmopolite
Maryna was born one spring afternoon to a Ukrainian family living in the Windy City, and developed as a middle child normally does until one peculiar day. Just after her third birthday, while visiting her maternal grandmother, she spotted a small, worn globe sitting on a bookshelf and was instantly transfixed by the sphere. She would stare at it, spin it and hug it, declaring her desire to meet everyone living on the globe and eat his or her food. Her rather melancholy grandmother declared her cursed, destined to wander the world in search of treasure. Whether blessed or cursed, it is now clear that tattered globe held the secret to her life’s mission, which she eventually discovered on a fairly winding and surprising path.
Between her love of “making a deal” and her immigrant parents’ concern for practicality, studying business seemed sensible. Maryna enjoyed the frameworks and concepts of business but by her third year in college, she felt a bit bored with IRRs and balance sheets. Curious about life outside the USofA, she signed up for a semester abroad, landing “where the hills are alive.” In picture-perfect Salzburg, she studied art history, able to get up close and personal with the masterpieces of the Western canon, and ate a lot, a lot of food. Her hunger for global adventure and discovery also kept growing….
Maryna graduated college full of hope and determination. She was sure she could change the world if only she could figure out what the world needed most. Toiling at entry-level jobs at companies large and small, Maryna’s mind (and spirit) began to dim. Around this same time, her beloved childhood globe was lost in a flood. Meanwhile, tales of a magical and mystical place where global citizens gathered to learn, grow and share stories of economics, politics and culture intrigued her. She yearned to capture the spirit of the legendary thunderbird.
The moment she passed through the stucco gates of that “institution of higher learning” in the middle of the Sonoran Desert, she knew she had found her oasis. Thunderbird seemed a sort of utopia, where bright stars from the north, south, east and west joined together to imagine a better, more sustainable world. Maryna mixed with folk from authoritarian regimes, imperfect democracies and oil monarchies, and studied with diplomats, farmers, entrepreneurs and other ambitious dreamers from near and far. She felt perfectly at home.
Of course, the privilege of this experience came with a lofty price tag and loans needed to be repaid. Maryna followed the herd and moved to NYC to launch her career in the high-flying world of investment banking. After a couple of years of working 70-hour weeks for brilliant and brutal bosses, she decided her mind and soul needed something more. She packed her bags and headed east, searching for her fortune.
Maryna arrived in Eastern Europe during a historic “gold rush” as the much-lauded theories of Mr. Marx turned out to be a cruel hoax and capitalism arrived to the rescue. Quite the industrious lady, Maryna spent several years working on privatizations and investments in the vibrant region. She loved living as an expatriate in Moscow, Kyiv, Vienna and London, traveling extensively, collecting great art, meeting interesting people, and enjoying a rather colorful and majestic life. Then one day the Russian Bear growled, declared its currency and debt non-existent, and the stock market was sent into a tailspin. Maryna’s employer, who had quite a few rubles invested in this alluring emerging market, was not amused. Maryna was forced to pack her bags and find another adventure. This time she headed way west, to a place where dreams really do come true.
Truthfully, she had never thought about becoming a museum director; she saw herself as a global businesswoman, albeit one with a deep affinity for beauty and cultural discovery. But there it was: an opportunity to lead a museum dedicated to celebrating the artistic wonders of the world. How could she resist? We should mention here that the museum in question was in the midst of turbulent times and in a moment of profound boldness (or perhaps deep exhaustion), the Board decided to name a former investment banker to lead the way forward. The risk was rewarded: Maryna tapped into her business savvy to zap the museum’s administration into shape and then discovered she had a real knack for unearthing artistic talent and weaving compelling stories the public enjoyed. Her fundraising skills weren’t too shabby either! Along the way, she witnessed the remarkable power of art to connect, unite and inspire people from all walks of life to aim higher and do better. Maryna was greatly changed by her years at that little museum in the City of Angels, but the world was still calling.
Concerned that her beloved globe, full of wondrous beauty, was being flattened, pulled and fragmented by small ideas and petty thinking, Maryna took action. Harnessing her love of international cultures, business savvy and deep desire to make the world a better sphere, she founded Cosmopolite Consulting and turned into a catalyst: Ms. Cosmopolite. A global citizen full of sass, style and smarts, Ms. Cosmopolite is on a mission to celebrate cultural diversity while promoting a universal ethic of hospitality towards others. And so, the story continues….
Curious to hear how the world turns? Follow Ms. Cosmopolite’s adventures here.
