Szilvia’s social conscience was developed long before coming to the United States. Living in Communist Hungary in the 1970s and 1980s, she saw first hand the effects the system had on the economy and the spirit of the people.

Growing up in a country with an 1,100-year history, much of it clouded by foreign oppression (Tatars, Turks, Nazis, Soviets), gave Szilvia an expanded perspective on the world and a greater appreciation for human rights. Her grandfather Lajos, for instance, who often warned about the seeming inevitability of governmental corruption, excesses and abuses, spent five years in a forced-labor camp in Siberia following World War II. More than 700,000 Hungarians (mostly civilians) were sent to the Soviet gulags. Some 300,000 never returned.

In December 2000, Szilvia graduated with honors (3.950 GPA) from Glendale Community College. Then, in September 2002, she graduated summa cum laude (3.868 GPA) from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a bachelor’s degree in political science. She then headed to UCLA’s cross-town rival for graduate school.

In May 2004, she earned her master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Southern California. Established in 1924, USC’s School of International Relations is the third-oldest school of international affairs in the world, behind the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and the University of Chicago.

Her master’s thesis was on: English School Solidarism: Guidelines for Humanitarian Intervention.

While at USC, she was a teaching assistant to Dr. Steven Lamy, who, at the time, was the director of the School of International Relations.

Szilvia became a United States citizen in 2002 and co-founded Globalist Films in 2003, with an eye toward expanding the understanding Americans have about the world.

She is a member of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council and Women in International Security.

Szilvia lives in Glendale, California with her husband Peter and daughter June.