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McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award

Celebrating innovative educators from across PreK–12, higher ed and post-graduate education.  
 
Founded in 2022, the McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award honors three educators who have shown innovation and inventiveness in their approach to teaching, helping learners discover their unique path to success.
 

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Meet Our Pathfinder Award Winners

Photo of Sonja Capers

Sonja Capers

"I think literacy is a civil right. When we give a child the science of how to read and the agency of how to write, I think we're giving them the keys to own their own liberation."

Language Arts Teacher
Paterson Public Schools, School #16
Paterson, New Jersey

Sonja turned her ELA classroom into a multimedia lab where students produce digital books, commercials, and games – and saw an incredible jump in state assessment scores as a result. Read more.

Photo of Caycee Tyler

Caycee Tyler

"I use immersive tools to remove learning barriers. But with any kind of new tech, I want to make sure the teacher is in the driver's seat. I want it to enhance what we already do, not take the place of."

Biology Instructor 
West Georgia Technical College
Carrollton, Georgia

Caycee brings augmented reality into her science classroom—like 3D models and virtual dissections—which helps students strengthen their lab skills, exam scores, and confidence. Read more.

Photo of Dr. Michael McShane

Dr. Michael McShane

"Innovation can be tough, and sometimes creating a space where people can learn and be their full selves means causing a little bit of good trouble."

Associate Professor of Medicine
Penn State College of Medicine
Hershey, Pennsylvania

Dr. McShane’s LION Mobile Clinic delivers care and resources to 1,000+ rural Pennsylvanians and trains the next generation of practitioners for community-based care. Read more.

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Richard Embrick

2025 McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award Winner
Engineering & Robotics Teacher and Founder of STEMbrick Academy
Rosenberg, Texas

Richard is revolutionizing STEM education through immersive, hands-on learning experiences. His innovative STEM curriculum has been adopted across the district, expanding access for under-represented students. Read more.

Photo of Dr. Farah Bennani

Dr. Farah Bennani

2025 McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award Winner
Dean of Math, Science and Engineering 
Elgin, Illinois

Farah developed Remote Web-Based Science Labs (RWSLB), which eliminate barriers to hands-on scientific exploration, improving access and retention for underrepresented students. Read more.

Photo of Dr. Narissra Maria Punyanunt-Carter

Dr. Narissra Maria Punyanunt-Carter

2025 McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award Winner
Professor, Communications Studies
Lubbock, Texas

Narissra integrates cutting-edge technologies like AI-driven tools, virtual simulations, and gamified assessments to create engaging, student-centered learning environments. Read more.

Photo of Dr. Melissa Collins holding the 2024 Pathfinder Award

Dr. Melissa Collins

2024 McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award Winner
2nd grade teacher, John P. Freeman Optional School
Memphis, Tennessee

Melissa founded an after-school club called “The Future Leaders of STEM” where students in 3rd to 8th grade interact with professionals of color and are inducted through a White Coat Ceremony. Read more. 

Photo of Lauren Hynicka holding the 2024 Pathfinder Award

Lauren Hynicka, Pharm.D, BCPS, RYT-200

2024 McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award Winner
Associate Professor of Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy 
Baltimore, Maryland

Lauren developed hands-on electives focused on integrative medicine and nutrition for improved patient and provider health, addressing an increasing desire from patients for broader, more inclusive care that is focused on health and wellness. Watch Video. 

Photo of Dr. Rachel Prado holding the 2024 Pathfinder Award

Dr. Rachel Prado

2024 McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award Winner
Chemistry and Biochemistry Senior Lecturer, Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama

Rachel led the creation of a web-based XR activity to help organic chemistry students visualize in 3D, addressing a notable spatial ability gap often along gender lines. Read more. 

Photo of Roger Lee Mendoza

Roger Lee Mendoza, Ph.D.

2023 McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award Winner
Business professor, California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA

Roger has devoted his career to developing and fine-tuning approaches to making his teaching engaging and interesting to the incredibly diverse group of students in his courses. Read more.

Photo of Ibrahim Odeh

Ibrahim Odeh, Ph.D., MBA

2023 McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award Winner
Founding Director, Global Leaders in Construction Management at Columbia University
New York, N.Y.

Created online construction management courses using a roster of world-renowned guest presenters to teach students how abstract concepts are translated into real-life projects. Read more.

Photo of Melissa Tracy

Melissa Tracy, M.A., M.Ed.

2023 McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award Winner
Food Studies and Social Studies Teacher at Odyssey Charter School
Wilmington, Del.

Melissa transformed an elective Food Studies course into a massive agriscience program that has multiple outdoor gardens, goats and chickens, a hydroponic lab and opportunities for students to earn dual-enrollment college credits. Read more.

2026 Pathfinder Award Honorable Mentions

This year, we're proud to introduce the Honorable Mention category, which recognizes additional exceptional educators who exemplify the Pathfinder spirit.

K–12

  • Miriam McKinney, Quincy Junior High School (Quincy, Illinois)
  • Olivia Rightley, Oak Park Elementary (Tampa, Florida)
  • Suzanne Woolfolk, Mountain View Los Altos High School District (Mountain View, California)

Higher Education

  • Doris Espiritu, PhD, City Colleges of Chicago School of Engineering (Chicago, Illinois)
  • Jennifer Ripley Stueckle, PhD, West Virginia University (Morgantown, West Virginia)
  • Jessie Affleck, Georgia College & State University (Milledgeville, Georgia)

Post-Graduate Education

  • Colette A. Waddell, PT, DPT, Winston-Salem State University (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)
  • Jed Wolpaw, MD, M.Ed, FASA, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Baltimore, Maryland)
  • Arindam Sarkar, MD, Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, Texas)
  • Mohd Shahid, PhD, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science (North Chicago, Illinois)

Latest News

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2026 Participation

This year, CAST—a nonprofit learning design, research, and professional services organization—contributed a Professional Learning Consultation on inclusive, accessible learning design to the McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award prize package, and provided a representative to serve on the judging panel.

CAST partners with schools, districts, and education companies through professional learning and accessibility services that remove barriers and expand learner agency.

Learn more about CAST Professional Learning and Accessibility Services.

FAQs

Our national educator award program recognizes innovative, inventive teachers across PreK-12, higher ed and post-graduate education. To be eligible for our national educator award, entrant must be 18 years or older and a current instructor at a PreK-12, higher ed or post-graduate institution in the U.S. McGraw Hill employees and their families are not eligible to participate.

Educators may nominate themselves or can be nominated by another educator, administrator, student, family member or friend. Entrants are asked to provide answers to just a few short questions and can also submit an optional video or photo to accompany the application. An individual may nominate multiple people; however, it may be necessary to refresh the browser to reload the form.

The nomination period for the 2026 Pathfinder Award has now closed. Nominations for the 2027 season will open in November, 2026.

Three educators, including one PreK-12 educator, one higher ed educator and one post-graduate educator, will be selected as winners by a panel of four qualified judges that includes a representative from McGraw Hill School, McGraw Hill Higher Education, McGraw Hill Global Professional and a member of CAST – a non-profit education organization seeking to make learning more inclusive to all. Full details regarding submissions and awarding of prizes are included in the Official Rules.

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