University of Oregon alumnus Hoang Pham recently received the prestigious Sue Lehmann Excellence in Teaching Award from the nonprofit organization Teach for America.
Pham earned his master’s degree in education at Loyola Marymount University. While studying, he participated in LMU’s Teach for America Partnership program and in his second year was one of only four teachers in the nation chosen for the Sue Lehmann Award.
Pham joined Teach For America after he graduated from the University of Oregon in June of 2011, and he currently is teaching beyond his 2-year commitment at his placement school, working with first-graders at KIPP Empower Academy in South Central Los Angeles. Pham strives to engage his students by bringing cultural relevance to each lesson.
“It’s so important for kids to see themselves in what they’re learning,” Pham said in an online story for Loyola Marymount. "By connecting school to their experiences I aim to empower my students and families to create social change that extends well beyond the one year they have in the classroom with me."
Pham received his bachelor's degree in political science from the UO, with minors in ethnic studies and business administration. He received a Diversity Excellence Scholarship, affiliated with the UO's Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence program.
The CMAE program had an impact on Pham's academic life and continues to propel his passion for teaching. He took writing classes through the program from Mike Copperman, a senior instructor in the UO Department of English, which he says helped shape his educational and professional career. He describes Copperman as the first teacher who allowed him to truly share his voice, identity and experiences in the classroom. It sparked a love for learning and social change in Pham, and continues to drive his work.
Pham credits the CMAE program, the DES scholarship and his professors from the UO Ethnic Studies Department for inspiring his success; they all pushed him to think critically about the world and how to be a significant part of it.
The Sue Lehmann Award recognizes second-year teachers who show qualities of transformative leadership for their students' benefit. Teach For America, which strives to end educational inequity, enlists high-achieving recent college graduates and professionals to teach for at least two years in low-income U.S. communities.
Pham says he works every day to engage his students and facilitate academic growth while simultaneously integrating culturally responsive instruction in all subjects, throughout the whole day. KIPP Empower Academy recently scored a 991 out of 1000 on the California Academic Performance Index, which makes them the highest performing school in Los Angeles County.
“My students, families, community and school are so incredible and this really reflects what’s possible when we all work together in our children’s best interest,” Pham said in the Loyola Marymount story. "It’s much more about their success than it is about mine."
- by Sarah MacKenzie, UO Office of Strategic Communications intern