Martina is a creative and playful soul, expressing herself in a multitude of ways as she dances (through) the lustful joys and (hail) storms of life. From a young age, sports, writing poetry, the love of nature and plants, playing theater, and taking photos have been part of her realm, along with curious eyes and an open heart, and being exposed to different cultures through travel.

Telling stories with the written or spoken word and creating journalistic pieces have been her main outputs in the past few years. She was published in several university outlets and interned at Radio Prague International, Aktuálně.cz or helped out the Associated Press. She has brought a few written, photo, radio, or video interviews, reports, articles, discussions, or more in-depth pieces on various topics, including a volunteer fighting in Ukraine, food waste, a Czech billionaire, or schools during COVID.

Yet she is most proud of her bachelor's thesis—a documentary—a radio portrait of an (un)ordinary person—her great aunt. As a contemporary witness, she remembers World War II and the collectivization of agriculture in the 1950s in Western Bohemia, and in Martina’s eyes, she is a heroine—strong, sensitive, smart, and vulnerable.

Martina is finishing her Master’s in journalism, having spent a semester in Taiwan studying international affairs and strategic studies as well as Chinese and absorbing as much of Taiwan as she could.

She also studied at the University of Economics, and for a year in high school in her birthplace of Beverly, Massachusetts, she taught English in Poland or hitchhiked through Italy. Helping out with her mother's business, a studio of interior and textile design, has also been a part of her lifelong journey.

As a perceptive and vibrant soul, Martina thinks deeply, works hard, lives passionately, diligently, and freely, questions, and loves. She is sometimes constrained by her perfectionism and stressed out or anxious, other times freed by her excitement, and always intrigued by a good conversation, debate, or warm time spent with the right souls.

She was born in the U.S. and has lived most of her life in the Czech capital, Prague, her hometown, in the heart of Europe. During her university studies, she decided to go to the "heart of Asia," as the Taiwanese tourism bureau advertises it, to dive more in depth into the Taiwan issue and immerse herself in Taiwan.

Her family ancestors were supposed to come from northern France, while the second half of the family were Slovaks living in Romania. She also has German roots and a wonderful relationship with her family in Germany.

Martina loves those cozy feelings, (the dried) herbs and flowers that she collects, (cooking) feel-good food (fruits and veggies are her favorites), running, and her loved ones. And always dreams of the woods. Dance, cycle, roller blade, play soccer, or badminton with her. And the only things she misses in her home country are the ocean and fresh mangos.