Marja Hilfiker, Co-Founder

Marja Hilfiker has been a teacher all her life.  One of the founders of Academy of Hope, Marja was born in Finland at the end of the Second World War.  Marja originally came to the U.S. as a young exchange student.  She obtained her Master's degree in English at the University of Helsinki and returned to the U.S. in 1969 to begin teaching in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she also earned a Master's degree in teaching.

After moving with her family to Washington, DC, Marja joined Gayle Boss in founding Academy of Hope in 1985.  Marja has been intimately involved with the Academy ever since, teaching  primarily reading and writing skills to the hundreds of adult students who have come to rely on Academy of Hope to help them complete their basic education.