LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Maria Ribas was nominated anonymously.

Ms. Ribas creates a positive classroom environment by making every student feel safe, valued, and included. She builds strong relationships, celebrates effort, and encourages kindness, curiosity, and teamwork. As a kindergarten Spanish Immersion teacher at a Title I school, her goal is to have more hands-on learning materials that keep young students actively engaged while they learn a second language. Her students learn best by touching, building, experimenting, and playing. She hopes to create more interactive lessons that support language development, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration. The impact would be immediate. Students would have more opportunities to learn through exploration, build confidence using Spanish in meaningful ways, and develop a love of learning from an early age.