Natasha is not only a talented teacher and linguist, but also a successful entrepreneur. She has a bachelor's degree in linguistics and education from the State Pedagogical University of Komi Republic, Russia, and a bachelor's in linguistics from San Jose State University. When she was 29, she was chosen as "One of the 40 under 40" by the Silicon Valley Business Journal. Just a few years ago Natalya and her great team of teachers and parents succeeded in starting several Russian-language programs for preschool and elementary-age children, and her ultimate dream of opening a Cultural Russian language center for the families of the Silicon Valley became a reality. Only a person with endless energy and limitless optimism, an inspirer and tireless creator can accomplish such a monumental task in such a short time. Natasha sees the main purpose of Rossinca Cultural and Educational Center as providing our students with an opportunity to be exposed to the rich cultural, literary, and language heritage of Slavic countries so that children would not only speak, read, and write Russian proficiently and correctly, but that they would develop a love for the Russian language, history and the rich culture of the Slavic nations. Together with Rossinca staff, Natasha works on implementing the latest methodologies and uses up-to-date textbooks and materials, so that studying Russian would be fun and exciting for children of all ages.

Eric Venzon serves as the CFO at Rossinca Heritage School, bringing valuable financial expertise to support the school’s mission. He draws on experience from his roles at Hoops2Dreams, A Schmahl Science Workshop, Sticks-2-Schools, and Rossinca Heritage School itself. Eric holds a degree from the University of Southern California, earned between 1983 and 1989.

Yulia Khitrykh is a co-founder and director of Rossinca Heritage School, coordinator of our after-school and Saturday programs, and a Russian language teacher. Yulia has several degrees, including a Master’s degree in education from Moscow State Pedagogical University, an MBA from the University of Vermont as well as various certificates in business and education. She has over 18 years of experience in teaching and business administration. After graduating from college, Yulia worked at unique charter school in Moscow headed by the famous Russian pedagog V. V. Davidov, whose innovative system of developmental education is widely used by Yulia and other teachers at Rossinca school. Yulia knows everything about contemporary pedagogy and implements the best ideas and methods into her work of nurturing and educating students. It helps to recognize a talent in every child and find ways to foster its development. This is an important task that requires time and close collaboration between parents and teachers. As she watches children learn something new, or acquire a new skill, or grow older and make good decisions, Yulia is convinced that their success justifies all the hard work that goes into it. The academic and athletic accomplishments of her 18-year old son are the best proof of the effectiveness of this approach.

Alexandra Ugarova is a Business Manager of Rossinca Heritage School and Rossinca Cultural Center and also teaches Russian literature as well a Theater program. She joined the staff in 2014 after several years of volunteering for Rossinca. She has a bachelor's degree in management from the Ordzhonikidze State University of Management (Moscow, Russia) and a US accounting degree. Currently, she is taking online course “Teaching Russian as a foreign language”. She became interested in teaching as she was raising her bilingual sons, now ages 18 and 10. Alexandra believes that teaching and interacting with kids should be based on mutual trust and acceptance of each child's unique personality. This helps the teacher to both grow and develop professionally with each child and to connect with one's inner child. Alexandra's favorite hobby is reading. One of her favorite authors is psychologist Ludmila Petranovskaya, who writes books not only for parents but also for children.

More about Alena will be added shortly.

Elena has a bachelor's degree in linguistics and education from the State Pedagogical University of Komi Republic, Russia. She fluently speaks four languages and is studying her fifth. She continued her education in the USA and has a bachelor's degree in child and adolescent development and education (University of San Jose). Elena Supryadkina and Rossinca have always been inseparable. From the start of Rossinca Elena volunteered for all the programs of the center. Immediately after her graduation, she was offered a full-time job at Rossinca as a coordinator of programs for primary school-age children. Elena has a unique combination of both education and experience to bring together all the advantages of the Russian and American systems of education and development so that the pupils of Rossinca preserve and develop the Russian language and supplement the knowledge acquired in the American school. Elena also works with parents, promoting the importance and benefits of bilingual education, recommending particular pedagogical and educational methods and techniques, or simply showing how to play and engage with children.