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By Aurora Hermosillo and the
IV Leader Editorial Staff

Valentina Myres is both a foreign student and foreign language teacher at IVCC.

The 25-year-old, born in Siberia, Russia, is enrolled in 20 hours of classes and is teaching Conversational Russian on Monday nights.

A graduate of the Ishim State Pedagogical Institute in Ishim, Russia, with a Foreign Language Diploma, Valentina studied English for 12 years and German for two. She also has experience as a teacher of foreign languages in Russia.

In 1997, the then-single Valentina Makarova, came to the U.S. through an exchange program to work at Camp Ability at Lake Forest, Ill. for the summer.

"The reason for traveling so far to work at the camp was the language experience," Valentina said. "I was doing something I really enjoyed, working with kids, and at the same time I could practice my English."

She returned to the U.S. and the camp, which was for people with spina bifida, in 1998. The following year, she stayed home because of her graduation exams.

In 2000, when she applied to come back, the camp had moved to Lake Bloomington and Valentina followed it.

During the summer, she met William Myres, who was from Putnam County, through another counselor who was a friend of his. She and Myres were married, and currently they live in Hennepin.

"I was happy with my life in Russia," she said. "I stayed in the U.S.A. because I married."

She still has family in Russia, including her mother, Albina, and brother, Andrey. She and her husband are planning to go to Russia this summer, and she hopes to be able to return often.

About her life in the Illinois Valley she said: "I am happy living here. The people are friendly."

Saying she is very happy she decided to come to IVCC, she explained that "the atmosphere here is very friendly and not stressful."

She is adjusting to differences between the Russian and American school systems, among them, taking written tests. In Russia, instructors question students orally. Financing for a college education also varies, with Russian students qualifying to enroll at no cost on the basis of a placement exam.

Valentina has been accepted in the IVCC nursing program for the fall semester.

"Nursing is new field for me," she said, "though I had some experience working with disabled kids."

She is uncertain about her plans after graduation because she and her husband are thinking about having a family.

But she does plan to continue teaching Conversational Russian, which focuses on basic vocabulary and grammar. She isn’t certain what evening the class will be offered in the fall semester, and she is trying to arrange a study tour to Russia.