By Merritt Frey, Executive Director

We are so excited to welcome a new member to our Board of Directors, Crystal Goodwin. Crystal is a multilingual educator fluent in both English, Spanish, and Sign Language. She is also a certificated teacher with experience in teaching in elementary, middle, and high school. She has her TEFL Certificate (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and is also certified to teach in the state of Washington as well as Florida.

Previously, Crystal contracted a position with The Ministry of Education as an English Teacher in Colombia. Once there, she received supplementary training from UNICA (La Institución Universitaria Colombo Americana) as a foreign language teacher. In the states, she received a master’s in education in Instructional Design. While working for the Seattle School District, Crystal served as a member of the Race and Equity team and the Leader of the Ethnic Studies subcommittee. While working for the Renton School District, she worked as a program manager of their afterschool program. Currently, Crystal is working as a bilingual educator for the Kent School District.

I asked Crystal to share a little bit about what motivated her to get involved in our work. Below, I share a few of our questions and answers.

What inspired you to join Mali Rising’s board?

The targeted demographic group. The children in Mali represent an underserved and marginalized population, which means they are not afforded the same opportunities as their more affluent peers in other countries such as Australia or The United States. By joining Mali Rising, I have an opportunity to use my knowledge and expertise to serve those students.

In the long-term, what do you hope to contribute during your time on the board?

I am hoping to facilitate sustainable systems that will increase learner outcomes among students locally and abroad. I am also hoping to increase vertical and horizontal alignment across all grade bands, thereby strategically building upon various instructional approaches and pedagogies.