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Valeska M. Populoh

Biography

Born in Germany, Valeska Populoh immigrated to America as a young girl with her mother and brother. Life posed many challenges for the family, but all were buoyed by their common belief in this land of opportunity. After earning a bachelor's degree in foreign affairs, Valeska worked as a research associate and policy advocate for a public interest law group in Washington, DC and Geneva, Switzerland.

After a few years, Valeska sought to bring her passion for environmental and social issues to grassroots work. She spent several years engaged in diverse projects, from organic farming to organizing farmers markets, eager to learn practical and community organizing skills. All the while, Valeska applied her creative skills to each cause, capturing events through photography and illustrating political cartoons. Valeska's experiences made her realize that her vocation "was to find the best match of my skills, interests and talents and my life's work."

For Valeska, that means a combination of teaching, community organizing, and art. She returned to school to get a fine arts degree, bringing many real-life experiences to the classroom. With a Masters of Arts in teaching, she plans to teach art at the secondary level and, eventually, create a community center to "provide learning and leadership opportunities to young people" living in troubled neighborhoods.

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