LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Kimberly Goodman was nominated by a friend, Jacqueline Tomlinson.

Ms. Goodman started her career in the first grade when she was enrolled in Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles by her very caring parents. Her mom was a local attorney, and her father was an engineer with the city of Los Angeles. 

Right from the start, Ms. Goodman's parents could tell she was a precocious child. Even though they were young and drowning in student loans and a new mortgage themselves, they scrounged snd saved and got their daughter into one of the most challenging schools in Los Angeles. Ms. Goodman was a star in school, and her love of education and languages grew throughout the years. She has mastered everything from the French language to their cuisine, having been highly recognized by many chefs around California for her culinary skills. 

Ms. Goodman has been teaching French immersion classes in public magnet schools around Los Angeles for five years. Being young enough to have grown up in the technical world, she has had the skills to be able to convey a full classroom experience to her students through multiple technical outlets. Usually, if a parent is having technical challenges, they call her directly. She'll walk them through how to get online and navigate their way around to support their child in receiving a complete education despite the challenges of being in Los Angeles during a pandemic. She always presents her students with a warm smile and a calm sense of reassurance. 

Ms. Goodman's teaching experience is a little different than most French immersion teachers in that she is part of the second largest school system in the world. As such, her students come from all backgrounds in the Los Angeles area. It takes her experience and energy to create an inclusive environment for the entire class. She does it so well that her principal from her school last year drove 60 miles round trip in Los Angeles traffic to place a sign in her front yard designating her as a valued member of the teaching staff. 

Augmenting her teaching responsibilities, Ms. Goodman was also chosen by the State Board of Education in conjunction with Stanford University to be one of the members of the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE). She is also working towards her PhD to further her ability to help students from all walks of life.