WASHINGTON — Six teachers from the DMV have been selected to take part in a two-year paid fellowship to enhance computer science education.
The Amazon Future Engineer initiative selected 50 educators from across the country to join its Teacher Ambassador Program. The program intends to expand STEM education and tech opportunities for students nationwide, according to Victor Reinoso, global director of Amazon’s philanthropic education initiatives.
These are the teachers chosen from the D.C., Maryland and Virginia area:
Brook Estifanos, Rose L. Hardy Middle School automation and robotics, design and modeling and computer science fundamentals teacher
Alfonso Duran, Parkdale High School computer science teacher
Lisa Wenzel, Argyle Magnet Middle School computer science and engineering teacher
Essie Jones, Alexandria City High School School math teacher
Jacci Erney, Ferdinand T. Day Elementary School teacher
Virginia "Molly" Fisher, Abingdon Elementary computer science teacher
As a part of this program, Estifanos, Duran, Wenzel, Jones, Erney and Fisher will help pilot instructional strategies for teaching computer science in each of their schools and work on projects to learn about equity in computer science education locally.
The six of them will also have access to the network of each other and 44 other teachers across the U.S. to share ideas and best practices with, as well as receive professional development opportunities with.
Amazon says the ambassador program is a part of its efforts to increase access to computer science learning for groups underrepresented in tech fields.
