I believe we have a wonderful, exceptional, inspirational, and talented teaching staff at Ukiah Junior Academy. Over the course of this school year, I will periodically be sharing with you a bit of each teacher’s story. As I have gotten to know each of them, I’ve come to realize how special they all are. In learning more about them, I trust that you, too, will realize that as well.
Mrs. Olivera grew up in Lake County and attended the public schools in the area through 8th grade. At that time Lake County high schools had a very, very, rough reputation. Wendi and her family decided to home school for her high school years. This allowed her to nanny almost full time, and at 16 she began working for a local Subway restaurant. Her work ethic and dedication so impressed the owner, that at 18 she was hired as the manager of that Subway. Eventually she came to manage two of his Subway restaurants.
Her future husband, Robert, also worked at the restaurant. Not very many years later, they were married. In 2001 Wendi and Robert came to own Subway franchises in the Ukiah area, eventually owning 6 of them. After their two children were born, Wendi began a search for spiritual meaning and soon came to find a spiritual home and a church family at the Ukiah Seventh-day Adventist Church. At some point during this time they sold the Subway franchises and Robert focused on his flooring business.
When their oldest child began kindergarten at Ukiah Junior Academy in 2006, Wendi began volunteering in the classroom. Over the next few years Wendi found greater and greater roles at UJA as a classroom aid, janitor and after school care director. After so much time hearing the classroom teachers speak with such caring and concern about all the students, Wendi decided she wanted to go back to school, get a degree, and work toward becoming a teacher. As a child, she had always wanted to be a teacher. This was a lifelong goal she was going for! She began her quest for a degree in 2011 and in 2016 she graduated from Sonoma State University with a degree in Education, Summa Cum Laude (with highest distinction). She began as the Kindergarten teacher at UJA in the fall of 2016 and is now beginning her 11th year leading our Kindergarten program. She is the longest serving teacher at UJA. The same dedication and hard work that guided her managing a Subway at 18, has led to the creation of the premier Kindergarten program in the area. Her program has earned a strong reputation in the community. More importantly, she cares for each of her students with a deep and abiding love. Wendi is a grandmother now and looks forward to the day when she will see her grandchildren enrolled at UJA.