Susan Potoroka
EXPLORE: Throughout life, I’ve loved exploring new languages (have studied six foreign languages to various degrees), new cities, music, photography, exotic food, sports and aviation. During junior high school and high school, I began exploring ideas and values that differed from those in my community and family. From this, I gained a sense of independence and confidence that still helps me through life today, especially while performing music and exploring new countries and cultures.
CREATE: In junior high, I loved creating music, calligraphy, photography, swimming pool designs, aircraft designs, jewelry designs, hair designs and fashion designs. Oh, and my cooking teacher taught me how to make the most fantastic omelets! Today, I often use the engineer and inventor genes inherited from my father to create solutions to everyday problems. However, creating music has been my biggest passion for the past several years. It’s not just a myth that music can be a life-saver, a problem-solver and free therapy!
EXPLORE: In high school I won Most Valuable Player every year for my golf and tennis teams and played for one season on the University of Michigan golf team. Because my high school German teacher was very strict and had such high expectations of her students, I also won $200 in a German writing contest during my first year of college! At different points while growing up, I wanted to be an interpreter, architect, airline pilot, dentist, photographer, golf coach or hair stylist (although I’m still holding out for rock star!). Eventually, while working at a German bank here in NYC, I decided to apply my passion for foreign languages and cultures to make a career change and become an ESL teacher to help people immigrating to the U.S.A. transition smoothly into American culture. When I’m not doing that, I work hard towards personal achievements in creating music CDs, performing and touring with my rock bands as well as staying healthy and strong through Bikram yoga.