Virginia Skrelja is the Director of ENL/ ELA for the NYSED-Bridges Curriculum. She coaches and supports labsite teachers as well as develops and leads ENL/ELA Curriculum-aligned professional learning. After graduating with a BA in English from Columbia College, Virginia edited books for young readers until she decided her passion for reading would better serve a classroom of young learners. She completed her MA in Teaching of English at Teachers College. Having grown up in a multilingual home, she was drawn to the challenges and joys of teaching ELLs and SIFE. She taught at Bronx International High School for many rewarding years before joining the Bridges team.