I first met Polina in 2003. I was hanging out at the 61C coffee house in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, when I saw a tiny girl trying to eat an oatmeal raisin cookie that was about the size of her head. I immediately snapped a few pictures. The girl's mother, Maria, asked me if I would be willing to give her the photographs. We quickly became friends, so I got to hang out with Polina more often. She is by far the brightest child I have ever met in my life. When I met her, she was about 18 months old, and she already spoke in full sentences in both Russian and English. By the time she was 3 years old, you could hold adult conversations with her. Unfortunately, Polina's family moved to California in 2005 and we lost touch for a few years. We finally reconnected a few months ago on my trip to San Francisco. Polina now has two siblings and she is still the coolest kid ever.
