Today we’d like to introduce you to Nadiya Zhurba.
Hi Nadiya, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Teaching kids was always my passion. I’ve been teaching in Ukraine and when I moved to Austin, TX, the first thing I started doing here was volunteering at my kids’ school and then working as a substitute teacher in Austin ISD. Also, I am a mom of three kids and I do everything possible for them not to forget their native Ukrainian language and their Ukrainian origin living far from Ukraine.
When COVID started, I was laid off from my position as a substitute teacher and my kids didn’t have the opportunity to communicate with their Ukrainian-speaking friends. So I decided to combine my two passions: teaching and parenting. In October 2020, I founded Bright Kids Ukrainian Online School where Ukrainian kids living in the USA and other countries can study the Ukrainian language online with teachers living in Ukraine.
After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine not only Ukrainian American kids but also adult Americans started learning the Ukrainian language with our online school to support Ukraine and its culture.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When you have a goal ahead of you, it’s always a challenge to overcome all the difficulties along the way to achieve this goal. When I decided to found online school, I didn’t have experience in it and didn’t know how to run a business in a foreign country, but with the help of my family and other professionals, I managed to do this. Now I can proudly say that contributes to the community, give high-quality online classes and support Ukrainian language and teachers in Ukraine.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Bright Kids Ukrainian Online School?
Bright Kids Ukrainian Online School is online school where teachers living in Ukraine provide online Ukrainian language classes to adults and kids living in USA, Canada and other countries. We offer private and group Ukrainian language classes to people with different levels of knowledge.
For people who already know this beautiful language, we offer live online classes in Coding, Chess, Arts, Improve or other subjects in Ukrainian with Ukrainian teachers.
I’m proud that thanks to our school, I can give jobs to teachers in Ukraine and support Ukrainian economy, language and culture; it’s very important, especially now, when Russia started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My parents always taught me to be a real patriot of Ukraine, love Ukrainian culture and be proud of my origin. When my husband got a job offer in Austin and we moved to the States, it didn’t stop me from loving Ukraine. The USA is a country of opportunities, here I was able to establish online school where I can help Ukrainian families abroad to preserve their Ukrainian identity as well as support teachers in Ukraine. I think my good childhood memories when I was playing near the river, beautiful Ukrainian nature helped me to stay strong and support Ukraine in it’s struggle for freedom.
Pricing:
- Group classes – starting from 10USD per class
- Private classes – starting from 15USD per class
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brightkids.online
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bright_kids_ukrainian_school
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightkids.ukrainian.online.school
