Receiving the prestigious Presidential Award affirms my parents' faith in me that I could achieve anything if I applied myself wholeheartedly. I feel honored, humbled, and grateful to be in the company of some of the most accomplished teachers in the nation. Reaching this pinnacle of accomplishment makes me aware that I have an elevated platform from which I can work to bring positive change in the field of education. I will be the voice for heart-centered teaching - my real work has just begun!

Rama Devagupta Kennewick, WA | 7-12, Science, 2023

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

Rama Devagupta has been an educator for 17 years. She has spent the last 10 years at Southridge High School teaching Biology, Honors Biology, Advanced Placement Biology, and Forensics to students of all grades, and has been an adjunct chemistry faculty at Columbia Basin College for the last 14 years. She previously taught Biology, Environmental Science, and Physical Science at Three Rivers HomeLink, and Earth Science and Physical Science at Highlands Middle School. Rama's infectious passion for science and search for knowledge lead her to seek professional learning opportunities that enrich student learning. She worked at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in 2018 and 2019 as a Murdock Partners in Science Teacher and used the supplemental grant funds to purchase Vernier Go Direct Sensors to empower her students with data incorporation technology. Rama received the 2024-2025 Hutch Fellowship for Excellence in STEM Teaching from Fred Hutch Cancer Center to do research, 2024 STEM Research Grant from the Society for Science, 2024 Fund for Teachers Innovation Circle Grant, and 2023 Washington Education Association Human & Civil Rights Commission International Peace and Understanding Award. As a 2023 Fund for Teachers Fellow, Rama traveled to the Peruvian Amazon and learned about the Maijuna people and environmental injustices. As a 2022 National Education Association Foundation Global Learning Fellow, she focused on the United Nations' SDGs and created lessons on climate change. Rama is National Board Certified in adolescent and young adult science with endorsements in biology and chemistry. She earned her B.S. in chemistry, botany, and zoology and her M.S. in chemistry from Ravishankar University. Rama has a Ph.D. in bioorganic chemistry from Texas A&M University.

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