Project Description
Dr. Kimberly Nelson, Fellow
Matthew Gallistel Language Academy
Chicago, IL
Dr. Kimberly Nelson was raised on the southeast side of Chicago. She attended Loyola University and obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in English. Due to her strong commitment to her southeast side community, Dr. Nelson completed her student teaching at a school located three blocks from her family home. Through this experience, Dr. Nelson’s dedication to the neighborhood in which she was raised only intensified and ultimately was a determining factor when deciding on her first teaching position. Dr. Nelson started her educational career as an eighth-grade teacher at Gallistel Language Academy, located in the heart of the eastside neighborhood, and this is where she has remained for over 25 years. At the start of her career, Dr. Nelson was afforded many opportunities to lead not only her grade-level team but to also make changes impacting the entire school. For this reason, she decided to continue her education by obtaining a Master’s Degree in Reading Specialization and a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration. She then became the assistant principal at Gallistel Language Academy after nine years of teaching. She served as the assistant principal for the next ten years before pursuing the principal position at Gallistel along with her Doctorate of Education in Administration and Supervision from Loyola University. Dr. Nelson has currently served as the principal of Gallistel for the past eight years, where she still focuses each day on improving her school and the community, a passion that was ignited 25 years ago
Sarah Dobda, Ally
Assistant Principal
Matthew Gallistel Language Academy
Chicago, IL
Sarah Dobda is the Case Manager at Gallistel Language Academy in Chicago, Illinois and is starting her 22nd year in education. She received her Bachelor's Degree from Illinois State University and a Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from The American College of Education. Sarah began teaching in the Chicago Public School System in 1999 as a Special Education Teacher. She has sponsored many student clubs ranging from Yearbook to Student Council in order to help build an inclusive environment for her students. She is currently the Case Manager, ensuring the educational needs are being met for the Diverse Learner Students at Gallistel Language Academy. Sarah is a strong advocate of Social Emotional Learning for students and has collaborated with students, staff, and families to assist in earning the Exemplary Status in Social Emotional Learning for Gallistel Language Academy. She believes that when students are supported in their Social Emotional Growth, they can be successful in their Academic Growth.