“Fresh out the college oven,” Samantha Lima has just started her first year as BHS’s new art teacher. Some general information everyone should know about Miss. Lima is that her last name is pronounced lee-muh not lie-muh, she has a twin sister, and she’s fascinated by Peruvian chinchillas. Aside from painting and ceramics, one of her favorite hobbies is rock climbing. She has a goal to visit every single national park with her sister before the age of 52. National parks Lima has visited include: Joshua Tree, Saguaro, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton. When she’s not enjoying the outdoors or working on her artwork, you’ll find her indulging in shows like The Office and The Umbrella Academy. Lima loves to connect with people not only through art, but also through music. When asked about her favorite music genre she says, “If anybody is in my car and they’re really excited about whatever we’re listening to I’m also going to get really excited.” She also has a notepad on her desk where students can give her song recommendations, but be cautious if you recommend a country song because that’s her least favorite genre. 

This is Lima’s first year as an official teacher, but she’s worked as a student teacher for places like Madison Middle School and Eagle Rock.  Her ultimate goal as an art teacher is to teach perseverance to her students. Through art, students can learn to think critically and see things in different perspectives. She wants students to know that there are different ways to learn things and that art is the best way to discover that. Students shouldn’t have to stress themselves out because they can’t learn a certain way, instead they should see their small accomplishments and try out new methods. Lima hopes that students will leave her class thinking to themselves, “I can watercolor paint and I thought that was hard, so why can’t I solve this small math problem?” Her passion for being an art teacher comes from her school days in art class. From sixth grade to twelfth grade she had the same art teacher and got really attached to her. She remembers participating in all of her art teacher’s after-school activities and thinking it was the coolest job. From there on, her art teacher became her hero and inspired her to pursue the same career path. 

One of Lima’s proudest achievements is graduating from university as a first generation college student. Her twin sister is still attending college, and her little brother recently graduated from high school. When they’re together, they like to go on outdoor adventures like hiking. It’s a tradition for them to go on a sibling camping trip and spend time with one another. They once hiked the Grand Canyon, but were disappointed because it was foggy the entire time, but at least they got to bond with each other!

If a song had to play every time she walked into a room, she says it would be I’m So Tired by Lauv. The reason for that being…well…she’s just always tired. Her favorite food is pizza, specifically from Mod Pizza. As a native Chicagoan she knows this brings shame upon the Chicago deep dish, but she can’t help but enjoy the crispy thin crust from Mod Pizza. One way to make Lima happy is to buy her plane tickets to Amsterdam. It’s one of the places she’d like to visit one day because of the Van Gogh Museum. She’s already seen Starry Night at the MoMA in New York, so she’s ready to see the rest of Van Gogh’s collection.