Vanessa Tadena, a resource special education (SPED) teacher at Pearl City High School, was named the Milken Teacher of Promise for the Pearl City-Waipahu Complex Area.
“Vanessa was very accomplished, but very humble and did not draw attention to herself,” said Professor and SPED Chair Rhonda Black. “Her peers and supervisors at Pearl City High School are impressed with her professionalism and proficiency.”
Tadena, who earned a Master of Education in Teaching (MEdT) degree and is dual certified in secondary special education and secondary social studies, teaches resource world history, Hawaiian studies, and literacy as well as serves as the class of 2027 advisor.
“Being recognized in this way among so many other strong candidates in the complex was a deeply humbling surprise,” Tadena said. “It was a truly special moment seeing my parents, my student council, and colleagues all there to celebrate with me! It feels amazing to know that my hard work has truly made an impact. If anything, it has reignited my interest in continuing my education to become an even better teacher.”
Completing her first-year teacher training at Kapolei High School, Tadena says experiencing the classroom on the general education as well as special education side helped her realize what she liked about each and what best fit her teaching style.
“Shout out Mr. Paranada and Mr. Lagrimas for being my mentor teachers at Kapolei High!” Tadena said. “I would also like to thank Dr. Rhonda Black and Dr. Waynele Yu for their endless support, especially towards the end of the program as I navigated being an emergency hire teacher while being in the master’s program. I would not have gotten this award without all of their support and knowledge they shared with me.”
Tadena says she plans to apply for the COE Reading Intervention Specialist program to address the literacy gap for her students with evidence based practices.
