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McGraw Hill Pathfinder Awards
Celebrating innovative educators from across PreK–12, Higher Ed and Post-Graduate education. We will begin accepting nominations for the 2025 Pathfinder Awards on October 28, 2024.
Founded in 2022, the McGraw Hill Pathfinder Awards honor three educators who have shown innovation and inventiveness in their approach to teaching, helping learners discover their unique path to success.
Congratulations to our 2024 McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award winners - Dr. Melissa Collins, Lauren Hynicka, and Dr. Rachel Prado!
Meet Our Pathfinder Award Winners
2024
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.
Lauren Hynicka, Pharm.D, BCPS, RYT-200
2024 McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award Winner
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. Read more.
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.
2023
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.
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.
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.
2024
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.
Lauren Hynicka, Pharm.D, BCPS, RYT-200
2024 McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award Winner
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. Read more.
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.
2023
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.
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.
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.
2024
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.
Lauren Hynicka, Pharm.D, BCPS, RYT-200
2024 McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award Winner
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. Read more.
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.
2023
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.
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.
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.
2024
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.
Lauren Hynicka, Pharm.D, BCPS, RYT-200
2024 McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award Winner
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. Read more.
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.
2023
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.
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.
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.
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2024 Participation
This year, CAST, a non-profit learning design, research, and professional services organization, contributed a 1-hour Professional Learning Consultation to the McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award prize package, as well as provided a representative to sit on our judging panel.
Sharing our vision of making education accessible for all, CAST continues to innovate and grow since they first pioneered the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), a research-based framework that guides educators and others as they provide rich instructional supports, reduce unnecessary barriers to learning, and help all individuals become expert learners.
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Who is eligible for the Pathfinder Award? Our national educator award program recognizes innovative, inventive teachers across K-12, higher 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 Education, 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 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.
The nomination period for 2024 has officially closed, with winners announced on 5/6/2024. The 2025 McGraw Hill Pathfinder Award entry period will open on October 28, 2024.
Three (3) Educators, one PreK-12 educator, one Higher Education educator, and one Post-Graduate educator, will be selected as winners by a panel of 4 qualified judges: 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.