About Valentina
I became a proud American citizen in 2008. I came to the United States from the Chuvash Republic, which was part of the Soviet Union when I was born, and subsequently became part of Russia. But please don’t call me “Russian”! The Chuvash people have a culture distinct from Russia, and I am Chuvash. My village was a mixed Muslim and Orthodox Christian community.
After the early death of my mother, my grandmother raised me in a small rural village, in a one-room house with no running water. She herself was well-educated, more so than most people in the village, and she instilled the importance of education in me. I won a scholarship to the local university, where I studied Russian and English in order to become a teacher. I then taught English at my school for several years. I moved to the United States in 2005 and became a US citizen a few years later.
For the last several years I have worked at Nasha Shkola (“Our School”), the Slavic charter school in Brooklyn Park. I spent two years as a reading tutor with Americorps, and many hours working with Feed My Starving Children. Last year I took my first foray into youth sports as an assistant coach for my son's basketball team. To relax, I like to go fishing on Lake Minnetonka, where I am still trying to catch my first walleye.
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My husband Don is a US Naval Academy graduate and an SAP consultant, and an active volunteer in Boy Scouts. We have three children, all of whom attend Wayzata schools.
My grandmother's belief in the power of education and the value of a strong work ethic led me to the life I am so grateful for today. I am excited to serve as a member of the Wayzata School Board, and to use my passion for education and my teaching experience to serve our increasingly diverse students and families. I ask for your support and your vote.