Katya grew up in what is now the defunct USSR. Her earliest memories are visiting her great grandmother in the village and getting chased by geese through poison ivy. She probably deserved that. She saved her school lunches to feed pregnant and nursing stray dogs and tried to adopt stray kittens. Katya’s family moved to San Diego, CA in 1996. She grew up with dogs, many of them were rescued. Some of the beginning motivations to be vegan were seeing a display on vivisection in middle school. Some students were showcasing their project on what happens to beagles, rabbits, rats and monkeys to test beauty and cleaning products as well as laboratory research. In high school, she got involved with an animal rights club; eventually watching Peta’s undercover video “Meet Your Meat” she went vegan overnight. She worked in the veterinary field for six years. Currently, Katya spends all her free time working on activism including building up the sanctuary and doing vegan outreach.