This summer, Sister Schools welcomed a new class of volunteers to the Board of Directors!
Sam Goodman is always on the move, whether he's scuba diving, playing basketball, swing dancing, or practicing yoga. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, he's also picked up long-distance running (he plans on running the Seattle Marathon this fall!), learned German, and collected some new friends - lots of house plants and a cat!
When he's not on the go, you'll find Sam at Microsoft, working as an AI Engineer. As soon as he heard about Sister Schools' unique, dual-impact program, Sam knew he wanted to be a part of it.
Read on to hear more about Sam Goodman!
Why did you connect with Sister Schools’ mission? Education is proven to be the only way to reliably lift individuals out of the cycle of generational poverty. If I can help in any way to encourage a child, in Seattle or Uganda, to stay in school and improve their lives, then I've accomplished something great.
I also believe that cross-cultural understanding needs to be emphasized more in schools. So many of our modern problems stem from an inability to empathize with people who look different, speak a different language, live in a different place, or follow different customs. I want to try and help show Seattle school children that kids in Uganda or elsewhere are remarkably like themselves.
What are you most excited about joining the Board of Directors? I'm excited to get more involved in education! As someone who has persistent fantasies about quitting my job and becoming a high-school teacher, I'm giddy at the thought of being able to involve myself in the Seattle-area school system and work with kids and teachers to make our community and world a better place.
Where is your favorite place you’ve ever traveled? The Galapagos Islands! There's so much pristine nature and wildlife to behold.
If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? I hate this question, because all of my favorite foods would just make me obese and/or nutrient starved if eaten for every meal. The only realistic answer is something like Soylent and vitamins, I guess?
Hear from Sam directly as he introduces himself to the Sister School community!