Early on, Victorya’s parents instilled in her an appreciation for books and reading with family read-alouds at the dinner table and books in every room (even the bathroom!). Victorya is still an avid reader and endeavors to help her students become fluently biliterate because one language is never enough.
Soon after Victorya graduated from university, she set off for Africa as a teacher with the Peace Corps. Living and traveling in southern Africa was life altering. While teaching Agriculture at a rural secondary school in Eswatini she realized that access to education was the key to self-determination, and that educational access requires English.
At the end of her Peace Corps service, she came home to the USA with a round trip ticket and a plan to become an English as a Second Language teacher so she could return to Africa as an English Teacher. Life is what happens while we are making other plans though. Instead of returning to Africa, she met and married her husband, and ended up staying in the USA teaching English to people from all over the globe. Her students come to her from many different countries, with a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The stories of her students inspired her to write her first published book, Finding Refuge: Real-Life Immigration Stories from Young People. The stories in this book began as writing assignments.
When not teaching or writing, Victorya enjoys time with her grandchildren, her horses, and reading good books. She also loves traveling. She lives in Cheney, Washington with her husband of 35+ years, 5 horses, a donkey, a dog, and a small flock of chickens.
