Episode 83:Ilona Levine

This week’s story is told by Ilona Levine.  Ilona was born and raised in the Moldovan part of the Soviet Union.  When Ilona was 13 years old, the Soviet Union collapsed and she witnessed her native Moldova begin its journey to becoming a sovereign nation.  Ilona grew up in an apartment and usually climbed the 15 flights of stairs rather than take the elevator due to the unreliable supply of electricity.  Ilona was a classical ballet dancer and was also a teacher during her teen years.  At times, she would teach as many as 150 students.  Ilona attended Moldovan Law School at the age of seventeen.  She essentially skipped the step of getting a bachelor’s degree because she tested so high on the law school entrance exam.  When Ilona immigrated to the U.S.A. at nineteen, she had not quite finished law school.  She was told that she would need a bachelor’s degree before she could finish law school in the U.S.  Ilona attained her undergrad degree in two and a half years.  Ilona is currently the General Counsel at Internet Society, a non-profit focused on growing and strengthening the internet across the globe.