Zhanna was born on August 2, 1980 in a small city by the name of Chernivtsi in Ukraine. As a child, she was a straight-A student and very dedicated to her school work, but Zhanna was also an extremely active child. She needed a physical outlet, even at an early age, so she involved herself in every activity available to her. From the age of 2 until I was 7, Zhanna was heavily involved in gymnastics.

When she was 7, Zhanna attended a music school to learn to play the piano. Then, by the age of 8, she was also enrolled in dance school.

When Zhanna was 11, she focused her energy on dance school and her studies. In the morning, she would go to school, then at 3 p.m., she would run to dance practice, which often lasted well over 4 hours every day. Zhanna believe's that dance school is where she developed her strong will and tremendous work ethic.

At 16, Zhanna immigrated to the U.S. with her family and attended Inglemoore High School in Seattle, WA. While there, she enrolled in the Running Start Program, skipped her senior year, and went directly to college. She attended Shoreline Community College for three years and received her AA degree. However, all throughout her academic years, she continued to need a physical outlet, so she joined her first gym. At first, Zhanna was taking various classes, but eventually, she began to lift weights. For Zhanna, weight lifting was something she felt she was meant to do. It seemed so natural to her; it also gave her the physical outlet she constantly needed.

At 20, Zhanna was accepted to the University of Washington majoring in Political Science. As she continued with her schooling, though, she still continued to devote a lot of time to her goal of being a fitness competitor.

Initially, Zhanna wanted to compete in Fitness, but while she was training with that goal in mind, the Figure division was established, and feeling that was a better fit for her, Zhanna decided to change her focus toward the Figure Division.

In 2005, Zhanna turned pro at the Team Universe and she's looking forward to having a very successful career as an IFBB figure athlete.

Zhanna's goal for 2006 is to qualify for the Olympia competition and to one day become Miss Figure Olympia... and to leave her mark on this wonderful sport.