Her fascination for places in a phase of strong transition arose over the years she spent in Europe right after graduation, when she curated multiple art projects, all focusing on the role of art in post-industrial sites, including an exhibition for the European Biennial Manifesta in Belgium, staged in a former coalmining city (2012). She visited Detroit for the first time in 2013, and started her publishing project with crowdfunding. In 2016 she graduated from the Columbia School of Journalism, where she completed an MA in Politics.