mgid.com, 751172, DIRECT, d4c29acad76ce94f

Salone Messenger

Black male Educator from DC surprised with Teacher of year award and $50K Check

Post Views: 328
Festus Conteh
By Festus Conteh 146 Views 2 Min Read
2 Min Read
Black male Educator from DC surprised with Teacher of year award and $50K Check
Black male Educator from DC surprised with Teacher of year award and $50K Check

Alex Diasgranados, a teacher at Aiton Elementary School in Washington, DC, was overwhelmed with emotion when he was surprised on The Drew Barrymore Show with the prestigious National University 2021 Teacher of the Year honor and a $50,000 check.

Diasgranados has been working with his students since 2015, developing strong relationships with them and inspiring them. Of his pupils, he said,They really inspire me and keep me going every single day. His dedication and commitment to teaching have been recognized with numerous awards. Last year, he received the $10,000 Sanford Teacher Award and was also named DCs 2021 Teacher of the Year, which comes with a cash prize of $7,500.

On his appearance on the show, Alex shared his advocacy to provide better digital access to students, especially during the pandemic. He was in for an even bigger surprise when Barrymore presented him with 265 laptop computers for teachers and students at his school.

Dr. Michael Cunningham, Chancellor of the National University System, then announced that Alex had been chosen as the National University 2021 Teacher of the Year. In addition to the award, he will receive the $50,000 cheque and a full scholarship

Stay Updated

Share this Article
Follow:
Festus Conteh is an international youth that functions conveniently in all forms of writing including article writing, news, script, content writing, constitution and project/proposal writing. Writing is fun to Festus and has brought fame and recognition in his clime. In 2019, he was awarded best upcoming writer in an online writing completion that was organized by the Association of Sierra Leonean Authors (ASLA). After his impactful contribution to national development and cohesion through writing, he was nominated for the African Genius Award for the Best Writer in Africa Award Category an award he lost to one of the greatest African Writers - Chinua Achebe. In 2022, Festus was one of the applicants to the Commonwealth Youth Council (CYC) as Vice Chairperson (Policy and Advocacy) a process that met imperil feedback. As a freelancer, Festus has written articles for magazines, newspapers, and media houses and his articles have attracted big media houses including BBC, Aljazeera and Legit. Ng and is the Head of Programs at Salone Messenger a public relations firm based in Sierra Leone with the latest news and information. He is the founder of Africa’s Wakanda a platform that spotlight the beauty of Africa. Festus is also a perpetual volunteer in life-changing causes and has shown great commitment and dedication to being a catalyst and solution to the challenges faced by young people like himself. Festus currently serves as the Secretary General of the Africa Youth Leaders movement which is a network of youth between the ages of 20 – 30 years who have shown achievement, leadership potential and commitment to make a difference. Festus is also the Africa Focal Point of Youth for Change Initiative, which is a platform through which young people can access resources, be empowered and given the opportunity to grow to become useful members of society who will participate in the development of their communities and nation. Along with another Africa Youth platform, Festus has Co-Founded the Future of Africa initiative which is an advocate forum with the aim to bring together local and international socio-economic stakeholders to support innovative programs aimed at advancing the radical and practical progress of adoption awareness-vulnerable children and youth and youth leadership-through interlinking local, regional and international resources and opportunities.