AHS Teacher Profile: Sonya Kim

​Mrs. Kim has a great sense of humor, but takes her job as Guidance Counselor very seriously. She has been a Guidance Counselor at Arcadia for eight years! Prior to joining Arcadia’s staff, she taught ESL at Coronado High School, Navajo Elementary School, and Tonalea Elementary School for a total of eight years. She also worked two years as a Guidance Counselor at Coronado High School.

In addition to being a teacher and counselor, Mrs. Kim has been very busy on campus. She served on Arcadia’s Climate Committee and has been Arcadia’s Spirit-line Sponsor for seven years. While at Coronado, she was the JV Cheer Coach as well as the sponsor for the Unitown Club and the Doncers, a Mexican Folklorico dance group. She was recognized for her passion for teaching when she was awarded Outstanding First Year Teacher at Coronado.

​When working with students, Mrs. Kim not only draws from her education and work experience, but also from her own experience as a high school exchange student in Denmark, a semester of college in Denmark, and a year in Brazil where she taught English. 

Mrs. Kim’s Educational background includes:

• Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts
• Secondary Teaching Certification in Speech & English as Second Language
• MA in Bilingual/ Multicultural Education
• ESL Endorsement
• Guidance Counseling Certification

Mrs. Kim was born in New York and when eight years old, moved to Arizona. She and her husband, Rick Dwyer, both graduated from Arcadia high school, but they did not know each other while at Arcadia. Mr. Dwyer, Arcadia’s school psychologist, graduated in 1986. They have three children: Mia, an 8th grader at Ingleside; Jackson, a 6th grader at Ingleside; and Tessa, a 2nd grader at Kiva. They also have two dogs: Kenzie & Milo (Milo is a Bodznick dog!)

HOBBIES OR FAVORITE THINGS TO DO WHEN NOT TEACHING I love to be crafty, spend time with my family and friends and be alone (doesn’t happen too often)

WHAT ARE YOU PROUD OF? I am proud of my career and my family.

A RANDOM FACT ABOUT MRS. KIM: I’ve lived in Korea (I’m half Korean), Denmark, and Brazil. I learned all three languages, but the only foreign language I can speak decently now is Spanish. LOL!

​Submitted Fall 2015

---