Jill (Yill) Ruchala joined the Maury community in 2024 as a third-grade English Language Arts teacher. She previously taught English for Multilingual Learners at Carlos Rosario International PCS in DC, and has taught learners of many ages in Mexico, South Korea, Myanmar, and the Czech Republic. She also served as an English Professor and Director of the English Department in Oaxaca, Mexico at la Universidad de la Sierra Sur.
Before returning to classroom teaching, Ms. Ruchala spent many years in educational leadership roles, coordinating curriculum, youth conferences, and education initiatives as Director of Global Classrooms, DC, as an Education Program Manager at the United Nations Foundation, and as a Facilitator with IDEA.
Originally from the Atlantic/Long Island Sound watershed in New York, she moved to Washington, DC, in 2007 to earn a Master’s degree in International Education from The George Washington University. She holds a BA in Literature from Yale University. Outside of school, she enjoys spending time in the woods and by the ocean, volunteering at Three Part Harmony Farm, commuting by bicycle, and being with her daughter.