Tamara Kurhina-Kovalenko

Tamara is originally from Kyiv and has been teaching Ukrainian language and history at St. Michael’s Ukrainian School in San Francisco for the past three years.

She is a historian, archaeologist, and museum professional by training. Tamara holds two degrees — from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (1998) and Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts (2002) — and earned her PhD in History in 2022. She has over 30 years of archaeological field experience, including work with the Institute of Archaeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and over 20 years of teaching experience at both school and university levels — including positions at Educator School in Kyiv, the Department of Archaeology at KNU, and the Department of Philosophy and History at Tavrida National University.

Tamara has actively contributed to cultural and educational initiatives such as Likbez: Ukrainian Front, Testing in the Museum, and RID. She is passionate about preserving and promoting Ukrainian history, language, and heritage through innovative, student-centered teaching.

Outside the classroom, Tamara enjoys historical clothing reconstruction, ceramics, lettering, and crafting traditional motanka dolls — a hobby that deepens her connection to Ukrainian traditions. She also loves reading contemporary Ukrainian literature and looks forward to inspiring her students and colleagues to carry Ukrainian culture into the future.