LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Sharon Jacobs was nominated by Renita Marshall, a family member.

Ms. Jacobs has spent the past 40 years working with students who other educators have given up on. They need alternative ways of learning and engaging. Many of these children have suffered trauma and need tools that can't be taught in a traditional classroom setting. The structured and supportive environment Ms. Jacobs provides allows them to express themselves in a safe space and learn the skills needed to be successful once they leave elementary school.

Ms. Jacobs has gone as far as purchasing items for the children's "cash in" with her own funds, as she knows they're the most requested items. She has taken the children's laundry home to ensure they had clean undergarments at school. Ms. Jacobs had a heart attack in September 2022. Her biggest concern was the children in her classroom. She needed to ensure consistency and reassure them that she would be returning. After a quadruple bypass surgery and two collapsed lungs, Ms. Jacobs still checked in with her students via video until she could return to the classroom - a swift seven weeks later.  

When asked if she's ready for retirement, she scoffs and indicates that she's not ready until the kids don't need her as much anymore. At that rate, she will be there for her lifetime. She is the only constant many of these children have in their lives.  

All these years later, grown adults will approach her to say hello as they are former students who remember her impact.