The 2019 Hawai’i Milken Educator Award winner is two-time College of Education (COE) alumna, Sara King. A Title I coordinator at Ala Wai Elementary School, King earned a BEd in elementary education and an MEd in curriculum studies. The only Milken Educator selected from Hawai’i this year, she is among 33 teachers nationwide selected for the premier teaching recognition, which comes with an unrestricted $25,000 cash prize.

“Sara made an impression on me in my Performing Arts class where she embraced active learning and engagement in core curriculum through arts integration,” COE School of Teacher Education Instructor Cheryl Treiber-Kawaoka said. “Years later, I was able to work with her as a mentor teacher for one of our teacher candidates. It was a great experience for them, and I remember the warm, inviting and organized classroom environment that Sara had created.”

Curriculum Studies Professor Julie Kaomea said, “Sara was an outstanding student in our master’s program. Her love and admiration for the diverse community in which she teaches inspired her to focus her graduate studies in the area of multicultural education. We are very proud of Sara and are delighted that she has received this well-deserved recognition.”

Read the UH News story.

About the Milken Educator Award Program
Since 1987, the Milken Educator Awards have been providing public recognition to elementary and secondary school teachers, principals, and specialists nationwide who are furthering excellence in education. Aside from the cash prize, the program is unique in that educators cannot apply and do not know they are under consideration throughout the confidential selection process.