A visual arts teacher at Rio Mesa High School received the surprise of a lifetime on May 27 when she learned she was chosen as 2025 Ventura County Teacher of the Year.
Top officials from the Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE) and the Oxnard Union High School District entered the classroom where Shi Young Kim was teaching, to the cheers of her students. Kim has been teaching for 25 years and is currently the Visual and Performing Arts Department Chair at Rio Mesa, which serves students from the Oxnard and Camarillo areas.
Courses Kim leads include International Baccalaureate Visual Arts, calligraphy, studio art, life drawing and digital photography. VCOE officials said Kim’s teaching philosophy emphasizes the importance of process over product and encourages students to explore their identities and creative voices.
Ventura County Superintendent of Schools Dr. César Morales was among the officials in the classroom to make the exciting announcement.
“We are incredibly proud to honor Shi Young Kim as the 2025 Ventura County Teacher of the Year,” Morales said. “Her ability to empower students through the arts, while also mentoring colleagues and leading schoolwide initiatives, represents the very best of what teaching can be.”
Kim said she felt “super blessed” to have been selected.
“A lot of it is working with amazing faculty and staff and admin. It makes it easy when you have such a great support system like that. And Rio Mesa has the best students, too,” she said in a video created by district officials.
Asked about her favorite thing about being a teacher, she said it’s the relationships she builds with her students. “It doesn’t just stay in the classroom, it goes beyond after they graduate too, so I love the connection I make.”
Students describe Kim as a compassionate and motivating mentor. “She regularly checked in when I felt there was no path ahead,” said Madison, one of Kim’s students. “Her belief in my potential, especially during times when I doubted myself, kept me going.”
Kim is now eligible to represent Ventura County in the 2025 California Teacher of the Year competition.