Northwest Passages: Victorya Rouse

For nearly three decades, Victorya Rouse has taught English to young people who have been driven from their homes by war, conflict and disaster. The wide range of experiences students bring to her class is relected in a new book she has compiled and edited, 'Finding Refuge: Real-Life immigrant stories from Young People.' Rouse spoke with Spokesman-Review columnist Shawn Vestal during a Northwest Passages event at the Montvale Event Center.

Section:Gallery

Tue., Nov. 9, 2021

Victorya Rouse visits with Spokesman-Review columnist Shawn Vestal, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021 at the Northwest Passages event in the Montvale Event Center. From her Ferris High School classroom in Spokane, Rouse teaches immigrants from all over the world how to speak English. She asks her students to write their “coming to America stories,” in which they narrate, in English, their journey to the United States. This anthology offers a selection of those essays, which Rouse herself has collected and edited from current and former students whose experience of America starts in Spokane.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Victorya Rouse engages guests Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021 at the Northwest Passages event in the Montvale Event Center. From her Ferris High School classroom in Spokane, Rouse teaches immigrants from all over the world how to speak English. She asks her students to write their “coming to America stories,” in which they narrate, in English, their journey to the United States. This anthology offers a selection of those essays, which Rouse herself has collected and edited from current and former students whose experience of America starts in Spokane.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Victorya Rouse visits with Spokesman-Review columnist Shawn Vestal, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021 at the Northwest Passages event in the Montvale Event Center. From her Ferris High School classroom in Spokane, Rouse teaches immigrants from all over the world how to speak English. She asks her students to write their “coming to America stories,” in which they narrate, in English, their journey to the United States. This anthology offers a selection of those essays, which Rouse herself has collected and edited from current and former students whose experience of America starts in Spokane.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Victorya Rouse visits with Spokesman-Review columnist Shawn Vestal, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021 at the Northwest Passages event in the Montvale Event Center. From her Ferris High School classroom in Spokane, Rouse teaches immigrants from all over the world how to speak English. She asks her students to write their “coming to America stories,” in which they narrate, in English, their journey to the United States. This anthology offers a selection of those essays, which Rouse herself has collected and edited from current and former students whose experience of America starts in Spokane.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
A roomful of guests listen to Victorya Rouse visit with Spokesman-Review columnist Shawn Vestal, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021 at the Northwest Passages event in the Montvale Event Center. From her Ferris High School classroom in Spokane, Rouse teaches immigrants from all over the world how to speak English. She asks her students to write their “coming to America stories,” in which they narrate, in English, their journey to the United States. This anthology offers a selection of those essays, which Rouse herself has collected and edited from current and former students whose experience of America starts in Spokane.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
A roomful of guests listen to Victorya Rouse visit with Spokesman-Review columnist Shawn Vestal, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021 at the Northwest Passages event in the Montvale Event Center. From her Ferris High School classroom in Spokane, Rouse teaches immigrants from all over the world how to speak English. She asks her students to write their “coming to America stories,” in which they narrate, in English, their journey to the United States. This anthology offers a selection of those essays, which Rouse herself has collected and edited from current and former students whose experience of America starts in Spokane.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Victorya Rouse, right, visits with Nou Vang, Tuesday at the Northwest Passages event in the Montvale Event Center.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Victorya Rouse, right, visits with Nautice Pham Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021 at the Northwest Passages event in the Montvale Event Center. From her Ferris High School classroom in Spokane, Rouse teaches immigrants from all over the world how to speak English. She asks her students to write their “coming to America stories,” in which they narrate, in English, their journey to the United States. This anthology offers a selection of those essays, which Rouse herself has collected and edited from current and former students whose experience of America starts in Spokane.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
A roomful of guests listen to Victorya Rouse visit with Spokesman-Review columnist Shawn Vestal, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021 at the Northwest Passages event in the Montvale Event Center. From her Ferris High School classroom in Spokane, Rouse teaches immigrants from all over the world how to speak English. She asks her students to write their “coming to America stories,” in which they narrate, in English, their journey to the United States. This anthology offers a selection of those essays, which Rouse herself has collected and edited from current and former students whose experience of America starts in Spokane.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Guests arrive to listen to Victorya Rouse visit with Spokesman-Review columnist Shawn Vestal, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021 at the Northwest Passages event in the Montvale Event Center. From her Ferris High School classroom in Spokane, Rouse teaches immigrants from all over the world how to speak English. She asks her students to write their “coming to America stories,” in which they narrate, in English, their journey to the United States. This anthology offers a selection of those essays, which Rouse herself has collected and edited from current and former students whose experience of America starts in Spokane.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Victorya Rouse engages guests Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021 at the Northwest Passages event in the Montvale Event Center. From her Ferris High School classroom in Spokane, Rouse teaches immigrants from all over the world how to speak English. She asks her students to write their “coming to America stories,” in which they narrate, in English, their journey to the United States. This anthology offers a selection of those essays, which Rouse herself has collected and edited from current and former students whose experience of America starts in Spokane.

Dan Pelle The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo