My name is Svitlana Zorya-Benson. I was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, and I have been living in our beautiful state of Colorado for 25 years. It is my home now, yet, I hurt deeply from what is happening now in my home country of Ukraine…

I remember how much I was fascinated by the English language in my childhood and teen years. Of course, I could not understand when I was listening to songs or stories, but the beauty of how it sounded and mystery of the meaning made me strive to keep learning and inspired me to get better. As the years passed, my love for English somehow transferred to a new fascination with Spanish. Learning English and Spanish for me, I believe, is my life journey.

I received my bachelor of arts degree in Spanish in 2013 from UCCS, and I have been teaching Spanish for 10 years now. I am privileged to teach at St. Mary’s Catholic High School. We have amazing students and teaching/administrative staff at this wonderful school.