I started rowing when I was 10 years old. Rowing runs in the family - both my parents used to be rowers. At the age of 13 I won my first medal in a single - bronze - at the Bulgarian Nationals. From there, I went on to achieve more than 6 Bulgarian National wins before the age of 18.

In 1997 at the Junior Worlds Championship in Belgium I was recruited to row in America for the University of Southern California. With the help of a translator, I accepted the chance to come to California and row for USC.

For me it was a great experience rowing for USC. I led my team to several USC victories including a world record setting win at the CRASH-B World Indoor Rowing Championships in Boston, where I won the open women’s race with a time of 6:37.9 at the age of 18 (which was also a world record for my category), a win in the Cal Cup at the San Diego Crew Classic, as well as a win in the coxed four at the NCAA National Championships.Now a USC graduate I have turned to coaching, which I began in 2002 as an assistant for the USC team and their coaching staff. Through coaching the novice women at USC I discovered a love for teaching. In the last few years coaching has become a permanent part of my life, and it's a very satisfying experience for me.

In addition to offering private lessons, I currently coach for The Lions Rowing Club, The MAC Junior Rowing Team and I also work as an Indoor Rowing instructor for The Sports Club of Los Angeles.