Alex likes to joke that if he were not human, he’d have been a fruit cake. He was born in Kazakhstan into a family with Baltic and Hungarian heritage. At age 12, he moved to the Caucasus Mountain region (Georgia); before he immigrated to Iowa, Alex lived in Ukraine, Russia, and Israel. Alex had the opportunity to visit many fascinating places such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

Alex has studied biology and electronics and currently works as an electronics engineer. Alex has a strong passion for education, history, and cooking. He spent many years helping in education, including as a Sunday school director, in culinary as a chef, and in history as a licensed tourist guide in Israel.

He now resides in Ames with his wife Dr. Ryshky and their three children. Alex believes his CultureALL workshops lead to better understanding and bring to light various cultures and traditions.

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