Marina Stoilova

Writing Instructor

at The Lantern English Co.

 

 

 

My passion for writing spans nearly thirty years across two continents. I was born and raised in Eastern Europe in communist Bulgaria, where my parents fostered in me a love for reading from an early age. Spurred by an incessant desire to read various types of literature, I began composing poems in late elementary school, then short fiction stories in middle school. When I turned 16, I went on a yearlong high-school foreign exchange in the United States, which was a dream come true and turned out to be a life-changing experience. I was blessed to be placed in a Christian host family, who treated me as their own daughter and further encouraged my gift of writing to blossom. I ended up remaining to live in their loving home and study in the Rochester, New York area long term. During my continued studies, I won first prize in essay and creative writing contests in high school and in college. My undergraduate education in psychology as well as my doctoral degree in neurobiology and anatomy further challenged me to develop advanced skills in writing, ranging from designing research reports and posters to publishing scientific articles in highly respected scientific journals.

 

It would be a blessing and a privilege to pass onto motivated students the worthwhile lessons gained over the years from in-depth interactions with remarkable writing mentors. I have learned that effective teaching entails relating even complex material in a way that is easy and fun to grasp and apply. It is of highest priority for me to discern each student’s unique talents as well as struggles in order to be able to stimulate them to learn most effectively at their own optimal pace.

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The joy of mentoring the next generation is just one aspect of a lifelong commitment to worship and serve my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Currently, my husband Nikolay and I are serving the Lord long-term back in our homeland Bulgaria. I am also the blessed mother of two young boys (Stefan and Yosif) and a little girl (Gabriela), who are teaching me more about life than all my academic degrees combined, especially as we are venturing into the exciting land of homeschooling. Beyond serving my family and the local church body, I treasure leisure reading Christian and medical non-fiction books, experimenting with baking, and worshiping the Lord with the piano and the guitar.