Sophia Youngman teaches kindergarten at Loma Linda Elementary. She has been there four years.

Youngman is a native of the Lone Star State. She was born in Carrollton, Texas. Her mom grew up in Arizona, and Youngman moved to the Valley to be close to family, she says.

When she was a kid, Youngman enjoyed school. Her favorite subjects were science and math. “I always loved school,” says Youngman. “ I loved going to school and being with my friends.”

Youngman also enjoyed playing school. She would make lesson plans and tests for her parents and grade them, she recalls. So she knew from an early age that teaching was in her future.

She says that her students’ smiles are the best part of teaching kindergarten. “The sweet hugs and smiles keep me going every day,” reports Youngman.

Even when things don’t go smoothly, the students’ joy is infectious. Youngman remembers a time when “I took a pretty bad spill in front of the class. It got everyone laughing,” she says. She notes that she “got through the pain by laughing with them.”

Youngman feels lucky that she has good experiences in school. “I honestly feel like I never had a bad teacher,” she says. She aspires to be the same positive influence for her students. She seems to be on the right track. Youngman was nominated by student Elena.

Elena reports that she likes learning her letters, and she enjoys the way her teacher celebrates birthdays in class. Youngman lets the birthday child sit in the teacher’s chair. “I spin them around and they get a surprise

out of the prize bucket,” says Youngman.

Outside of class, Youngman enjoys hiking, eating sushi, and she recently took up kayaking. She reports that her secret talent is the ability to wiggle her ears.Youngman visited Ireland this past summer, and she loved “how beautiful and green everything was.”

Youngman advises students to remember “no matter how difficult something may seem, if you keep trying you’ll push through.”