Originally from New York, Michelle Balon is an active young freelance translator and interpreter passionate about deepening Western understanding of the Arab world by translating Arabic content into English. Currently based in Amman, Jordan, she is a graduate of the intensive Harvard Center for Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) program in Amman. Michelle combines her superior Arabic skills in formal and colloquial dialects with her diverse background in NGO work, academia, and the private sector to provide high quality translations with a fast turnaround. She has worked previously in business-to-business sales with the Jordanian start-up Jamalon, as well as in non-profit communications with the international NGO Education For Employment. Michelle holds a B.A in Arab Studies and Human Rights from the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies program at Hunter College, from where she graduated summa cum laude. She is also a native speaker of Russian and conversant in French.