Receiving the Presidential Award for me is an honor and a privilege. But more than that, I feel it’s an opportunity to represent my fellow educators of Puerto Rico. We work with dedication to education no matter the difficulty we have encountered. I want this recognition to be an example to students that dedication to what you love is important. I am proud to be awarded with this recognition and to be a part of the education community.

Sandra Crespo Aguada, PR | 7-12, Science, 2023

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

Sandra M. Crespo Montoya has been an educator for 29 years, teaching chemistry, physics, and earth sciences to students in grades 9–12 in Puerto Rico. As a teacher, she has spent five years at Emilio Scharon Secondary School, five years at Benito Cerezo Vázquez High School, and the last 19 years at Eladio Tirado Lopez High School. She uses Project Based Learning to teach physics and creates projects that follow the engineering methodology. She has taught bilingual earth sciences and chemistry for the last three years under the program “Our Way to Bilingualism” and will continue offering physics in English in the upcoming year. Sandra has more than 10 years’ experience with research teams at the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez Campus under the CREST II and CMaT programs, funded by NSF Grant No. 1648035 (ER-CMaT). These have led her to present research results in Georgia and Washington, D.C., and to integrate them into her classes. She has co-published research in the Journal of Composite Sciences on the degradation of biodegradable plastics. Sandra had a proposal sponsored by the government of Puerto Rico’s Fiscal Control Board to address deficiencies in Spanish and mathematics using STEM and entrepreneurship. She also heads the engineering club to help students prepare for careers related to science and engineering. Science Week was dedicated to her in Puerto Rico. Sandra earned a B.S. in chemistry from Interamerican University, San German; M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction from Austin Peay University; 45 credits in Environmental Education from Metropolitan University in Puerto Rico; and 52 approved Doctorate credits in learning environments with educational technology. She has certifications in chemistry and earth sciences.

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