Local teacher nationally recognized for prestigious national teacher leadership fellowship
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) recognized a local teacher for their prestigious national teacher leadership fellowship.
Paloma Peralta Carillo is a master teacher at Ed Pastor Elementary.
She is one of the two Arizona teachers chosen for the fellowship program from across the country.
Nearly 250 teachers across the country applied. 12 teachers were chosen to be apart of the one year program and receive a 10,000 stipend.
"I'm just very humbled. Education is something that impacts and continues to impact many people, so I think we really do need to bring back the love of education and install that among not just our teachers and our staff but also our students," said Paloma.
She began in her career in education at her alma mater Desert View Elementary in 2016 as a fifth grade teacher. She then because a master teacher at Ed Pastor elementary in 2021 where she works with primary grade and special education teachers. She says she always knew she wanted to be a teacher from a young age.
"I wanted to make a difference, and I knew that I could make a difference in the lives of kids, so that's why once I was in the classroom, that always kept being my why," said Paloma.
With the fellowship, Paloma will be attending the national conference for NIET in Washington DC in February. She is also working on her second Master's Degree to become a principal and to work in higher education.
