I am truly honored and humbled to win this award along with so many other wonderful STEM educators. I am thankful to my own teachers, colleagues, and mentors over the years that have set an example of excellence for me. Every day I reflect on how challenging this job can be, but what motivates and inspires me to keep going is knowing that engaging students in science education fosters innovation, curiosity, and progress for their future.

Karleen Lynch Pearl City, HI | 7-12, Science, 2023

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

Karleen “Karly” Lynch has taught science for the last 10 years with positions at a variety of schools. She began her career teaching eighth grade physical science for three years at Wilson Middle School. She then reached tenure during her six years teaching Advanced Placement Biology, biology, and marine science at Pearl City High School. Her most recent position was seventh grade science at Marion C. Moore School. Currently in her 11th year, Karly is teaching seventh grade science and AP Biology at H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program. Karly believes in bringing authentic experiences to the classroom that allow students to explore and connect life science to the world around them. Examples include taking students on an annual hike to explore native and invasive species, bringing in local fishmongers to talk about sustainable fishing models, and having students use professional laboratory grade electrophoresis and PCR machines to analyze their own DNA samples. Karly thrives on connecting and growing with other educators through professional development and fellowship opportunities. She was a part of the 2020-2022 Hawaii State Teacher Fellows and the 2023 cohort of the Career Academy Leaders Collaborative. She has also been a reader for AP Biology for the past four years. Karly earned a B.S. in biology and an M.A.T. from James Madison University. She is certified to teach middle school science and biology for grades 6-12.

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