Senior Sasha Kaganov has lived in three different continents throughout her life: Europe, Asia and North America. She lived in Belarus for 2 years, Israel for 6 years, and now America for 9 years. She moved here with her mom, dad and older brother.

“We moved from place to place because of my dad’s job,” Kaganov said. “He produces medical equipment and his company required us to relocate. It was really difficult because I was always leaving my friends and house behind.”

Adjusting to the new culture and lifestyle was one of the harder things Kaganov had to do. However, she eventually learned to adjust quickly to the new lifestyle.

“It was really hard to adjust,” Kaganov said. “I felt lonely at times, but it really taught me valuable life lessons and skills that I’m glad I have today. The biggest difference between countries is definitely the culture. The way people act, dress, what they do. It’s so different in every country and that’s why I appreciate every single country for what it is, even though it’s all so completely different.”

Kaganov speaks three languages: Russian, Hebrew and English. Her family only speaks Russian at home.

“The hardest language for me to learn was English because I learned Hebrew and Russian at a fairly young age, so learning English later in life was more difficult,” Kaganov said. “But I know English the best because I use it more in an everyday basis than the others.”

Although her favorite place she’s lived in is Israel because of her family residing there, Kaganov plans on staying in America throughout the rest of her lifetime.

“I plan on staying in the US for the rest of my life because I’m comfortable here and it is easier to become someone and to become successful here than it is in the other countries I’ve lived in,” Kaganov said.

Even though the process of moving was hard at times, Kaganov is thankful for the experiences she’s had.

“The best part was being so cultured and aware of the world,” Kaganov said. “I’ve seen so much of it, and I’m so glad that I’ve had all these great experiences at such a young age because it makes me the person I am today.”