LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Mouline Otieno was nominated anonymously.

Ms. Otieno greets her students as they walk into class to create a connection with them. They freely share their ideas without being judged. She listens to them whenever they want to talk by creating a safe space for them with respect from her and one another. She encourages her students, letting them know they are the best, and shares stories of how others have excelled before.

Ms. Otieno creates a culture of mutual respect and open communication, and focuses on positive growth. She rewards every slight improvement and makes sure students keep working hard. They work in groups and help one another most of the time, and this helps build their confidence.

Ms. Otieno has helped students improve their results in state exams like SBAC and MAP tests, producing top students in the SBAC state exam. Her seventh-grade class won the school mathematics contest. She also successfully integrated Art during Black History Month with her learners and won the competition during the 2024-2025 school year. There was an attitude change in her Pre-Algebra class, and students were ready to learn daily. She completed her Mentorship program for the 2024-2025 school year and completed in-person and virtual courses for the district, amounting to almost 200 hours.