Each year, AFS-USA recognizes an outstanding global educator as a way to highlight and honor the tremendous work that educators across the U.S. are doing to build a more peaceful world. The selected educator has shown evidence that they have woven global engagement and intercultural learning into their everyday instruction, and they have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of a globally competent educator. We hope to celebrate an educator every year that will inspire others to weave culture and global thinking into their learning environment and foster active global citizenship among their students each year.
AFS-USA is proud to name Kirsten Salonga from Justice High School in Falls Church, Virginia as the 2025 recipient of the AFS Global Educator of the Year Award. Kirsten Salonga is an ESL Biology and Environmental Science teacher at Justice High School which is part of Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia. She is also the Science Department Chair for Justice High School which allows her to create lessons and activities that are globally infused while also creating and facilitating professional development for the entire science department. Kirsten believes that “community includes all”, so she has shaped a standards-based curriculum that incorporates multiple voices, global connections, and hands-on activities to better connect all students to the learning. She mentors and supports her science colleagues to do the same in their classes.
In the letter of support submitted as part of the application process, Karen Rosicela Orozco Carreto, Justice High School student, stated “What sets Ms. Kirsten Salonga apart is her ability to combine her love for teaching with her dedication to making the world a better place. She not only teaches science but also instills in her students the importance of empathy, collaboration, and global citizenship. Her lessons go far beyond the classroom, leaving a lasting impact on everyone she teaches.”
AFS-USA was thrilled to celebrate Ms. Salonga at their annual ECA Workshop in Northern Virginia in March 2025 where she was joined by the AFS-USA President and CEO, Tara Hofmann, along with Scott Weinhold, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, to receive the 2025 AFS-USA Global Educator of the Year Award in person.
To learn more about the AFS-USA Global Educator of the Year Award and the nomination and application process and to be notified when the nomination process opens for the 2026 awards, please send us an email at [email protected].