Dr. Michelle Aquino was awarded the prestigious Gilder Lehrman Institute 2025 Hawaii History Teacher of the Year. Aquino, who earned an MEd in Curriculum Studies and EdD in Professional Practice from the UH Mānoa College of Education (COE), has been a key educator with the Filipino Curriculum Project and helped design the nation’s only state-wide Filipino social studies course. She currently teaches this course and Hawaiian history at W.R. Farrington High School
“I am deeply honored by this award as it is a testament of years of hard work and dedication in the field of education and in the teaching of history and social sciences through culturally-relevant and indigenous pedagogy and art integration,” Aquino said. “It is also a testament to the great programs at the COE that have prepared and continue to support education and educators in Hawaiʻi.”
After completing undergraduate degrees in Spanish and Asian Studies, Aquino worked for the GEAR Up/ SHALL project as an Ilokano language translator and instructor. When she was hired as an emergency hire for Farrington High School, she enrolled in the COE post baccalaureate secondary education program to obtain her teaching certificate. She has worked at Kamehameha Schools and Waipahu High School, returning to Farrington High School before earning her EdD.
“The masterʻs program at the COE helped me reflect on the methodologies and practices that I used in my classroom and helped me understand how to engage students in more meaningful ways,” Aquino said. “The EdD program helped me look at pedagogy through the practice and methodology of Dallot (Iloko oral tradition) in order to support the needs of Philippine students.”
Aquino explained that the use of Dallot and other Philippine indigenous practices is an emerging area of study in the field of education.She acknowledges the COE and UH Mānoa faculty, including Sandra Cruze, Dr. Patricia Halagao, Dr. Kimo Cashman, Dr. Aurelion Agcaoili, Dr. Jan Javinar, and the late Dr. Niki Libarios, for their support in the College of Education and in the study of these indigenous practices.
“We are so proud of Michelle! This award recognizes her deep and diverse content knowledge and innovative work in history education,” said Halagao, Curriculum Studies Professor and Co-Director of the Center for Philippine Studies. “She is a model teacher committed to her students, active learning, culturally-sustaining pedagogy, and uplifting our community.”
As the 2025 Hawaii History Teacher of the Year, Aquino receives a $1,000 award, a certificate of recognition, a curated collection of American history books and educational materials from the Gilder Lehrman Institute, and recognition at a local ceremony. She is one of 53 finalists for the $10,000 National History Teacher of the Year Award, which will be announced in October at a special ceremony at the Harvard Club of New York City.
The annual recognition program, presented by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History—the nation’s leading nonprofit for K–12 American history education—celebrates one outstanding teacher from each state, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools, and U.S. Territories. It recognizes educators for their dedication, creativity, and effective use of primary sources. Nominees are recommended by students, colleagues, or school leaders and selected by state committees of historians and educators.
