His work has appeared in The Associated Press, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, The Jewish Telegraphic Agency and publications in his home state of Oklahoma. He holds bachelor’s degrees in journalism and Russian language from the University of Oklahoma. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Starting in 2007, he worked as a freelance journalist covering the countries of the former Soviet Union, traveling widely across the region. His coverage included the 2008 conflict in Georgia and the local fallout from the global financial crisis.