LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Kimberly Lind was nominated by an anonymous student.

"I dreaded moving to the junior and senior campuses from the sophomore and freshman campus at Arrowhead. I didn't think I was ready, I believed I would fail, and most importantly, I didn't want to leave my old art teacher. I told myself I wouldn't be vulnerable with any of my teachers because it hurt when I had to leave them," said the student.

"A few months into school, I was drained from my fingertips to my toes. I had no energy left. I finally understood what my sister meant when she talked about junior-year burnout, and I was only three months in," said the student.

"The Monday before Thanksgiving break, I fought with my mom, and she said something that would typically roll off my back, and I thought it had. I drove to school replaying the conversation, trying to get it out of my head but failing to," said the student. "I went to Mrs. Lind's (my parenting teacher) office to distract myself. I spent most of my mornings telling her about the drama from the day before. Today though, I didn't want to go to talk to her, but I wanted to go because it's the only place I felt safe in school."

"I walked into her office and looked in her pod, immediately crying. For the first time that school year, I felt safe enough to let my guard down and show emotions. Standing up crying, she approached me, pulling me into a hug, which she didn't know was the first I had received from anyone in over a month. She never knew that she saved my life that day and gave me something to hold on to," said the student.

"She rubbed my back and said, 'It's alright—this will pass, you're okay.' Hearing these words from others, I'd typically scoff like, 'You're telling a child in a breakdown that it's alright, really?' This time though, hearing her say everything was alright, I'd be okay. I believed her. Something about her gave off the vibes of 'You can trust me. I've got you,'" said the student.

"Eventually, I could explain and tell her about the fight my mom and I had, and instead of typing on her computer like other teachers have done when I would talk to them, she sat and listened to what I had to say. She really listened. I felt safe enough to open up to a teacher for the first time that school year. She reminded me that I wasn't a problem and that my mom's words weren't true," said the student.

"She made me feel safe, so I felt safe in school for the first time since freshman year. By being herself and opening her arms and ears to me that day, I have a place in the school where I'll always feel safe. I have told her that she was special, but I don't think I've ever told her just how special she is," said the student.