Hello Tahoma and Rainier students and parents!
Hello León program coordinators, Brayan and Jessica!
My name is Eileen Kim (or as students call me Ms. Kim) and I’m beyond thrilled to begin this adventure with you all! I’ve recently completed my second year as a teacher at Summit Public Schools: Tahoma located in San José, California. In my first year, I taught Spanish for Native Speakers, levels 1 and 2. In my second year, I taught Spanish 1 and Spanish 3. In the next academic year, I will be transitioning to a new teacher role and will be teaching AP US Government and Politics!
I moved to California to teach at Summit in the summer of 2013 after receiving my master’s degree from New York University in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language. I received my bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia in Foreign Affairs, Economics, and Spanish.
I’m originally from the East Coast so I’m still new to California/West Coast life but enjoying it thus far, especially the mild winter weather and the freshness of the produce here. Although where is the rain????? This drought is terrible! I definitely miss the rain and the change of seasons.
I’m a huge basketball fan so I can’t say that being a Californian is a bad thing: the Golden State Warriors just won the NBA Championship–GO WARRIORS! (Also as my Tahoma students know, I’m a big Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose fan.)
I’ve done a lot of traveling, including study abroad to Spain while at UVA and to the Dominican Republic while at NYU, so I’m very excited to share my first-ever trip to Nicaragua with these wonderful students, with Ms. Katie Goddard (my fearless co-leader), and with Brayan and Jessica.
I believe that travel is the ultimate learning experience: through no other medium do you deeply learn the culture, values, language, heart and soul of another country and its people. My travel experiences have always been–hands-down–the best learning experiences I’ve ever had. In all my years of being a student, never have I learned more about the world and myself through travel. This is why I decided to become a Global Glimpse leader. Every student should have the opportunity to experience learning in this way at some point in their life. Students: you will learn so much about the world and about yourself through this trip with Global Glimpse. I’m so excited for this life-changing experience that is about to happen for you. And even as your leader/teacher, I too am always learning and growing; I’m very excited for what I will learn and how I will grow on this trip as well.
Let the countdown begin: see you all at SFO in 13 days!!!! Brayan and Jessica, see you in 14 days!!!! 😀