Natalia Kotula is a brand new Radford High School teacher in the English department, teaching English 10.
“I would like to impact students by challenging them to think outside of the ‘bubble’ of their own lives and understand perspectives beyond their own,” said Kotula.
Kotula previously came from Aliamanu Middle School to Radford to be able to reach students who are ready for college and their careers. She strives to help guide and support her students while they go down this path because she remembers a time in her life when she needed a teacher to talk to about dealing with high stress from school life.
“My goal is to push students beyond the limits they think they’re capable of,” said Kotula.
Kotula taught English in Chicago for a few years at an alternative high school called Ombudsman, working with students in their credit recovery program for kids who dropped out or had been removed from their previous high school. She also taught down the road at Aliamanu Middle School for 6 years as a 7th and 8th grade English teacher.
“Something unique about me is that I’m a pretty good snowboarder. Another unique thing is my travel experiences; I once did a Europe road trip with my brother and saw almost all of the most popular European destinations within two and a half weeks,” said Kotula.
In her free time, she enjoys going exploring with her son on hikes and beaches and finding new places on the island. She also likes reading when she has the time and watching true crime documentaries.