LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Frank Romero was nominated by the parent of a student, Melina Abbott.

"I frequently have lunch with my children at Highland Park Elementary. During lunches and other activities at their school, I've watched Mr. Romero interact with all of the children. He talks to the students with respect while joking with them and making them laugh. He allows them to help him in cleaning up the lunch room, teaching them valuable life lessons," said Abbott.

When Mr. Romero walks past the children in the lunchroom, they stop and pay attention to him, demonstrating their respect for him due to the relationships he's built with each of them.

"I've watched students appreciate his joking manner and attention to each of them through his interactions. Mr. Romero is a custodian at Highland Park Elementary. Often we look at teachers' impact on their students, but I think it's important to recognize the significant impact every school personnel plays in students' lives. Mr. Romero demonstrates this consistently through my observations of his interactions with the students. I believe that while Mr. Romero's title is custodian, he uses his role to make a difference in the lives of students every day. For that reason, I believe he is a LifeChanger," Abbott added.