The Yale Office of Undergraduate Admissions has the distinct pleasure of recognizing the following educators as recipients of the 2025 Yale Educator Award. The Yale Educator Recognition Program recognizes outstanding educators from around the world who have supported and inspired their students to achieve at high levels. Matriculating students are invited to nominate high school educators, and a committee composed of Yale admissions officers reviews the nominations individually and designates recipients. Of this year’s 302 nominees, who represent 38 states and 22 countries, 61 teachers and 26 counselors were selected to receive the award. In September, the winners were sent engraved desk sets and congratulatory letters, and administrators of the high schools were notified of their achievement.
The entire Yale Admissions Office credits the excellent quality of the Yale student body to educators like these, who shape their students long before they attend Yale, and would like to thank these and all educators for their ongoing efforts in motivating and supporting their students.
Award Winner | Subject/Title | Nominated By | Secondary School | State/Country | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mrs. Chelsea Corrao | Performing Arts | Eleanor Kandoll | Petersburg High School | AK | |
Mr. Travis Fink | Mathematics | Ethana Hang | Har-Ber High School | AR | |
Mrs. Seanne Farrar | Counselor | Ethana Hang | Har-Ber High School | AR | |
Mr. Mark Bixby | Mathematics | Bryce Falkoff | Marana High School | AZ | |
Mrs. Bernadette Russoniello | Marketing | Jaden Franklin | Maricopa High School | AZ | |
Mrs. Marta Connally | English | Elizabeth Cuba Mestre | Skyline High School | AZ | |
Mrs. Jessica Moore | Counselor | Elizabeth Cuba Mestre | Skyline High School | AZ | |
Mrs. Joni Parker-Boykins | Counselor | Mark Luong | Abraham Lincoln High School | CA | |
Mrs. Barbara Andersen | AVID | Hailey Young | Castro Valley High School | CA | |
Mrs. Karolin Dodds | Mathematics | Hamza Modan | James C Enochs High School | CA | |
Ms. Elizabeth Ayorinde | Science | Eva Wonsowicz | LA Center For Enriched Studies | CA | |
Mr. Gregory Carver | Mathematics | Lochlan DaRonco | Evergreen Senior High School | CO | |
Mrs. Diane Campbell | Counselor | Colton Lipsey | Liberty Common High School | CO | |
Mx. Becks Olthoff | Mathematics | Isabel Christine Faustino | Engineering & Science University Magnet School | CT | |
Mr. Tyler Peterhansel | Science | Espen Fenstad | Mark T Sheehan High School | CT | |
Mr. Craig Schwerin | History | Hadley Murphey | Community School of Naples | FL | |
Dr. Mallory Becker | Counselor | Yoo-Min Koh | Gainesville High School | FL | |
Mrs. Samantha Biggs | Social Studies | Addison Shea | Lakewood Ranch High School | FL | |
Mrs. Megan Abbott | English | Grace Xu | Lawton Chiles High School | FL | |
Mrs. Brigitte Robinson | Counselor | Grace Xu | Lawton Chiles High School | FL | |
Ms. Christie Brady | Counselor | Aspen Hess | Leesburg High School | FL | |
Mrs. Christina Rutledge | Science | Hajar Abdel-Rahim | Strawberry Crest High School | FL | |
Mrs. Jessica Ames | Science | Adeyinka Adepoju | Chattahoochee High School | GA | |
Mr. Brett Godwin | Economics | Shriya Kunam | Denmark High School | GA | |
Dr. Whitney Dubrulle | French | Mason Mifflin | Douglas County High School | GA | |
Ms. Lelani Smith | Counselor | Mason Mifflin | Douglas County High School | GA | |
Ms. Kayla Stoddard | Science | Simon Reid | Eastside High School | GA | |
Dr. Yvonne Chan | Science | Logan Lee | Iolani School | HI | |
Ms. Tracy Townsend | English | Jaden Blankenship | Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy | IL | |
Mr. JaRod Tobler | Counselor | Jaden Blankenship | Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy | IL | |
Mrs. Kelly Nehls | Media | Jah Mubalama | Richwoods High School | IL | |
Mrs. Elizabeth Funcannon | Counselor | Jah Mubalama | Richwoods High School | IL | |
Mr. Todd Petersen | Science | Eugenie Kim | Blue Valley Northwest High School | KS | |
Ms. Megan Price | English | Carter Wells | Menifee County High School | KY | |
Mrs. Katie Cole | Counselor | Carter Wells | Menifee County High School | KY | |
Mrs. Kelly Brandt | Counselor | Walker Prejean | Lafayette High School | LA | |
Dr. Robert Dalling | Science | Peter Yu | Louisiana School for Math, Science, and The Arts | LA | |
Mr. David Schneider | History | NeNe McDonald | Willow School | LA | |
Mrs. Amy DiStefano | Counselor | Samantha Dean | Agawam High School | MA | |
Mr. Christopher Gauthier | Social Studies | Grady Flinn | Concord Carlisle Regional High School | MA | |
Ms. Reyna Charapp | Social Studies | Kiana Hajikarimloo | Northwest High School | MD | |
Mrs. Tracy Mossburger | Social Studies | Bomin Koo | Jenison Senior High School | MI | |
Mrs. Jenny Riha | Counselor | Bomin Koo | Jenison Senior High School | MI | |
Mrs. Kayla Gorrell | Social Studies | Michelle Lin | Marshall High School | MO | |
Ms. Erin Stokes | Counselor | James Dover | South Point High School | NC | |
Mrs. Madison Dellinger | Science | Hallie Black | West Lincoln High School | NC | |
Mrs. Melissa Carson | Spanish | Justin Solimine | Damonte Ranch High School | NV | |
Mrs. Melina Portuhondo | Counselor | Mariama Bah | Comprehensive Model School | NY | |
Mrs. Cindi Isshiki | Counselor | Lucas Li | Francis Lewis High School | NY | |
Ms. Christina Olivares | Counselor | Sydney Robinson-Davey | Grace Church School | NY | |
Mr. Jason Zencka | English | Amitees Fazeli | Manlius Pebble Hill School | NY | |
Mr. Kyle Bautista | Science | Mayeesha Alvi | Roy C. Ketcham High School | NY | |
Ms. Margaret Lum | Counselor | Asher Johnson | Vanguard High School | NY | |
Mrs. Elizabeth Baker | Mathematics | Carter Garrison | Lincoln High School | OH | |
Mrs. Kelsey Stiff | Leadership | Kiara Gonzalez | David Douglas High School | OR | |
Mr. Daniel DiLanzo | English | Lula Mekonnen | Boyertown Area Senior High School | PA | |
Mrs. Jackie Mavrelos | Gifted Support | Owen Oliver | Oxford Area High School | PA | |
Mrs. Meghan Chandler | English | Andrew Dou | D W Daniel High School | SC | |
Mr. Landyn Minter | Social Studies | Bianca Flores | Creekview High School | TX | |
Mr. Austin Coleman | Mathematics | Brennen Muniz | IDEA Judson College Preparatory | TX | |
Ms. Alizandra Alonzo | English | Annasophia Castillo | IDEA Pharr College Preparatory | TX | |
Ms. Luzie Espinosa | Counselor | Annasophia Castillo | IDEA Pharr College Preparatory | TX | |
Mr. Indalecio Soto | Mathematics | Lorena Rivera | IDEA Tres Lagos College Prep | TX | |
Mr. Brandon Pierce | English | Joy Zhou | Lake Travis High School | TX | |
Mrs. Erika Martinez | Science | Alejandra Coronado | Los Fresnos High School | TX | |
Mr. Ed Perkins | Social Studies | Zaid Kharrat | Lubbock High School | TX | |
Ms. Jennifer Nuñez | Mathematics | Adrian Rodriguez | New Tech Odessa | TX | |
Mrs. Anne Rojas | Mathematics | Sarah Nguyen | North Garland High School | TX | |
Mrs. Anne Rojas | Counselor | Sarah Nguyen | North Garland High School | TX | |
Mrs. Mindy May | English | Benjamin Le and Jennifer Rayman | Richardson High School | TX | |
Ms. Wendy Roberts | Science | Isabelle Wolchek | Davinci Academy of Science and Arts | UT | |
Ms. Sharon Meng | Chinese | Crash Ackerly | Maggie L Walker Governor’s School | VA | |
Mr. Nathan Morris | Mathematics | Emmet MacKay | Fair Haven Union High School | VT | |
Ms. Lindsey Hudson | Counselor | Esabella Amoah | South Burlington High School | VT | |
Ms. Paulina Bravo Valenzuela | History | Caroline Talis | Robert M Lafollette High School | WI | |
Mr. Paul Street | Mathematics | Elio Shuman | Laramie Senior High School | WY | |
Ms. Lorena Derengowski | Science | Fernanda Ribeiro Wambier | Colégio Militar de Brasília | Brazil | |
Ms. Veronica Walbaum | History | Camila Valenzuela | The Grange School | Chile | |
Mrs. Michelle Motz | English | Mariana Lopez Zablah | Escuela Americana | El Salvador | |
Mrs. Paz Lindeman | Counselor | Mariana Lopez Zablah | Escuela Americana | El Salvador | |
Ms. Anjana Virmani | Science | Anay Seth | Delhi Public School | India | |
Mrs. Aakriti Periwal | Counselor | Kavin Sharma | Jayshree Periwal International | India | |
Mr. Hatem Al Omari | Mathematics | Farah Al Kharafi | Al-Bayan Bilingual School | Kuwait | |
Mr. Richard Martin | History | Hyren Gan | International School of Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | |
Ms. Annemiek Bailey | Counselor | Hyren Gan | International School of Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia | |
Mr. Abeid Abeid | Science | David Michael | Feza International School | Tanzania | |
Mr. Gus Marantos | Counselor | Duc Vinh Nguyen Doan | Saint Paul American School | Vietnam |