As a teacher of military-connected students, my role is critical to the mission of the Department of Defense. While their parents keep our nation safe, teachers provide the children a stable education, keeping home life as optimal as possible. The Presidential Award represents the commitment, dedication, and grit that each of my fellow teachers and I perform daily to provide a safe, diverse, and positive learning environment for our students. To be awarded is a humble recognition of our efforts.

Paul Cuaresma FPO, AP | DoDEA | 7-12, Science, 2021

The official biography below was current at the time of the award.

Since 2012, Paul J. Cuaresma has been a physics teacher at Guam High School in the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Pacific West District. In addition to teaching, he serves as his school’s Science Department Chair, Chemical Hygiene Officer, Junior Science and Humanities (JSHS) sponsor, and Far East Academic Advisor. Beyond teaching students in the classroom, Paul has coached numerous student researchers for DoDEA Pacific’s Far East STEMinars since 2012 and JSHS regional research competition since 2015. Paul believes that all learners deserve equitable access to science learning. He achieves this by focusing on modeling, investigative methods, and engineering skills to provide students with broad exposure to multiple STEM concepts. Paul consistently improves his craft. He attends year-round professional development with Research Experience for Science Educators and Teachers, sponsored by the Army Education Outreach Programs. During the past three summers, he worked as a research assistant with Army research lab scientists in White Sands, NM, and Adelphi, MD. These experiences translate to teaching students advanced modeling and real-world research methodologies. Paul was recently honored as the 2023 DoDEA Pacific West District Teacher of the Year. He will be training with fellow honorees in a DoDEA educational leadership program. Paul earned his B.A. in secondary science education from the University of Guam, an M.S. in educational and instructional technologies from National University in California, and is currently pursuing an Ed.D. in instructional systems technology at Indiana University. He is a certified educational technologist and certified to teach general science, chemistry, physics, and mathematics.

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