Sarah Milianta-Laffin Ewa Beach, HI | 7-12, Mathematics, 2023

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

Sarah “Mili” Milianta-Laffin has been a public school educator for more than 17 years, and for the past seven years has taught Computer Science (CS), and STE(A)M at Ilima Intermediate School. Previously, she was a Science and Technology Curriculum Specialist, a Gifted Education Specialist, and a Third Grade Teacher at Alexander Elementary, in Houston, TX where she was placed by the Teach for America program in 2006. In her current position, Mili teaches Introductory CS and STE(A)M classes, with the goal of getting students excited about the topics and grow the pipeline of students pursuing these programs in high school and beyond. Her innovative methods of teaching have earned her multiple recognitions including the Code.org CS Leaders Prize and the International Society for Technology in Education’s (ISTE) “Making IT Happen” Award. Mili thrives in active learning communities and participates in many, including Hawaii’s Tri-Level CS Planning Team, the HI Society for Technology in Education (HSTE), and Hawaii State Teacher Fellowship. She’s certified to teach Code.org and Project Lead the Way courses, and has presented at state and national education conferences. Mili received her B.A. in political science from Indiana University and is certified in career and technical education K-12, elementary education kindergarten through sixth grade, science sixth through eighth grade, social studies 6-12, and Teacher Leadership.

• High-resolution version of the teacher profile photograph

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