Mrs. Vanessa Bucukovski, who joined the Foreign Language Department in September of 2017, grew up in Syracuse, New York where she attended West Genesee High School. Although her parents’ background is Southern Macedonia, she was raised in a Native culture. Mrs. Bucukovski went to Roberts Wesleyan College for her undergraduate degree and Syracuse University for graduate school. Her fascination with language drove her major in Spanish as an undergraduate and Literacy Education 5-12 as a graduate student.

After having many part-time jobs as a substitute teacher, a Spanish teacher and a literacy specialist in various schools both in Rochester and Syracuse, she wanted to settle down. Fortunately, one of the places she taught at as a student teacher happened to be McQuaid Jesuit. Being that she is very familiar with the McQuaid Jesuit community, she decided to take the job opening here.

“Having the experience here already and knowing the close-knit, caring community the school gives off, I was drawn to wanting to settle here since I moved back to Rochester,”  she said.

Teaching at an all boys school was not an issue for her; she was confident because of her previous experience here as a student teacher.  “Being that I had my student teaching here while at Roberts, the ‘all-boys thing’ wasn’t much of a culture shock to me,” she explained.

Interesting things:

-Mrs. Bucukovski was quite an athlete in high school.  She was on the volleyball and the swimming teams. She was also a statistician for the varsity football team. After high school she participated in track for a couple of years; she tried shotput, discus, weight and hammer throw.

-Her family is a “Ford family,” so she drives a 2010 Ford Fusion.

-She is a singer, and she performed at many Roberts Wesleyan jazz concerts.

-If that doesn’t impress you, she can also cook “a mean meal.”