Yianna Belesiotis was born in Portland as the middle of three children. Her parents immigrated from Greece and had to learn English once they arrived. They ended up opening a restaurant and found support with other Greek families through the local Greek Orthodox Church. Yianna began kindergarten barely knowing English, so began watching Sesame Street on TV to better learn the language. She then attended a second year of kindergarten to reinforce what she had learned. Yianna had two brothers and lived in the family home from birth until the time she left for college. Every summer her family went back to Greece to visit family. Her dad worked hard at the restaurant with his brother and would end up joining the family later in the summers. Yianna was shy as a young child and but later became a very curious, outgoing and energetic child. In her childhood she played the flute, guitar and also sang. She danced and had private dance lessons. She loved to read and later gravitated towards philosophy. Friday nights Yianna attended Greek Language School to be able to read and write Greek as well as speak it. When Yianna was just 12 years old, her father passed away from cancer. Her mother was devoted to the children and refused to marry again until her youngest child had grown up and left the house. At age 16 to 21, Yianna was a barista at Coffee People at the PDX Airport. She graduated from David Douglas High School then attended PSU and studied Classical Language and Literature. She finished with a degree in Liberal Arts. The year Yianna graduated from PSU was the same year she met her husband through a mutual friend. They have now been together for twelve years, marrying Dec. 29, 2014. Yianna married Justin Votos at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood. Both Yianna and Justin are climbers and literally travel the globe to find mountains and big rocks to climb. Justin is a wildlife biologist and a member of Portland Mountain Rescue, conducting rescue searches. In 2009, Yianna decided to continue her education and went to Concordia Univ. in Portland to earn her Master's in Teaching. She then took a year off and moved to Colorado with Justin to focus on climbing and becoming better at the craft. She then returned to Oregon and began subbing at Corbett and was hired in the Corbett Grade School the following year. She currently teaches K-1 and really enjoys her classroom, calling it her dream job. Her passion is environmental education and appreciates being able to create and implement Columbia Gorge Studies. Yianna and Justin currently live in Portland.
