Having begun her own schooling as a non-English speaking kindergartner at the same school, Nansimbi uses her story to inspire and connect with students. Her high expectations and researched-based strategies have enabled over 90 percent of her students to demonstrate well over a year’s worth of academic growth on MAP-M and MAP-R. Among her innovative exercises are a hands-on project to understand pollution in the Potomac River, a partnership with Lego Robotics to teach engineering concepts, and a partnership with Code.org to teach computer coding to children. Nansimbi is also praised for her leadership in organizing her school’s annual International Night.