Originally from a Chicago-border town, Lincolnwood, IL, Valerie was raised by her Greek father and American mother. She grew up spending a lot of time in her father’s seafood restaurant and community, which first sparked her curiosity about other cultures and traditions.
Valerie comes to Multilingual Connections with a BFA in theatre from Roosevelt University. She also has years of professional multimedia experience, including video production working on commercials, web content, music videos, documentaries, and in-house corporate videos. While living in Campinas, Brazil with her husband and family, she taught English as a foreign language. There, for the first time, she had to teach and think about American culture from a different perspective rather than be curious about others’ cultures as she was when growing up.
Valerie loves hiking with her husband, her two boys, and her dog, seeing live music, and traveling. She is also still in the acting world and can occasionally be spotted on a commercial here and there!
