Follow Your Bliss
49ers EDU Selects Local Bay Area Teachers as 2024 'Follow Your Bliss' Award Recipients
Dr. Harry Edwards and the 49ers Foundation present ten local Bay Area educators with the "Follow Your Bliss" educator award.
Rebekah Hansen is a fifth grade teacher at Taylor Mountain Elementary School in Santa Rosa. She comes from a long line of teachers and coaches and feels blessed to play a part in her students' lives as she watches them grow, learn, smile, and laugh. Aside from learning their fifth grade curriculum, Rebekkah hopes that she helps her students become better humans who make a difference in the world. She will use the grant money to buy art and science supplies for her students.
Co-founder of New Haven Elementary Social Justice Academy, Roxanne Ramirez is an equity-minded teacher who understands that teaching is about connecting with students and making decisions to support each child's individual needs. She wants to continue to support teachers by adding to her school's Social Justice Library books written by and about marginalized and underrepresented populations for teachers to use in their classrooms. Roxanne wants to be able to support, influence, and empower her scholars and teachers to foster a classroom environment that fosters dignity and belonging.
Elijah Stewart, the second Stewart to receive this award, is in his fourth year teaching eighth grade math in the same neighborhood he grew up in at James Denman Middle School. Elijah is proud to be a role model for his students. In addition to math, Elijah teaches Social Justice Learning and the interconnectedness of economic, social, and environmental issues. He also works as the Black Student Union Co-Advisor, Soccer Assistant Coach, and Track Coach.
Ruben Guzman is an eighth grade teacher at Sunrise Middle School in San Jose. Coming from a similar background as the majority of his students, he relates to his students and has been able to help at-risk students not only improve their math skills, but succeed in multiple aspects of their growth and development. He plans to use the funds to provide more field trips that are service and volunteer-focused so his students can create positive change in their community.
Gabrielle Koizumi is a 9-12th grade teacher at Silver Creek High School in San Jose. She is committed to making the arts accessible to all and developed a policy in which tickets to all Silver Creek Drama productions are free to students. She believes in breaking down the financial barriers to allow all students to experience high-quality drama and access to the arts. Additionally, she casts all students in her productions, adopting a "no-cut" policy. She plans to use the funds to continue to lower the financial burden of attending shows, as well as bring guest artists for upcoming productions.
Tera Coleman is a 9th-12th grade teacher at Thomas Downey High School in Modesto. Tera uses her business acumen and dedication to social justice to create opportunities for her students to learn, grow and uplift their community. For three consecutive years, she's facilitated a community service project at her school aimed at addressing the challenges faced by students living in poverty, investing over $30,000 in local non-profits. In her latest endeavor, she helped certify over 20 students into proficient tax preparers - the students filed over 200 tax returns for low-income individuals/families within a single tax season.
Amanda Clark is the Principal of Sedgwick Elementary in Cupertino. Amanda is committed to the importance of inclusive practices and equitable access to opportunities. With this award, she will increase her school's inclusive play equipment, ensuring that every student, including neurodivergent learners and those of all abilities, can fully participate in recess and lunchtime activities. Amanda will use a portion of the funds to support student-led clubs where students have the freedom to pursue their unique interests. With the power of collaboration and teamwork, she recognizes that every member of the school community plays a vital role in shaping the educational experience for students.
David Blanco is a school administrator at Downtown College Prep in San Jose. As an administrator, David builds authentic relationships and promotes restorative practices to tackle the root of student issues. As a former multi-sport athlete, he believes in the power of athletics and extracurricular activities to shape students' futures by keeping them away from gang violence and drug use and provide opportunities for college scholarships. The funds from this award will go directly to his school's athletics programming, grappling club, and boxing club for next school year.
Julia Dayao is a Youth Program Specialist at Booker T. Washington Community Service Center in San Francisco. Julia focuses on culturally sustaining lessons that integrate art, literacy, and science to not only affirm youth's identities, but also encourage cross-cultural connections that inspire them to think critically about the way people of color are treated. She will use the funds from this award to buy new art supplies to allow youth the opportunity to explore different mediums and modes of expression and to put towards field trips to give her students experiences that they otherwise wouldn't be able to have.
Brent Lee is a high school STEM non-profit program coordinator with the JCYC Workforce Development Department in San Francisco and works with students from Galileo High School. Brent mentors and advises a cohort of students who are majority low-income and first-generation college-bound youths. His passion for making a difference in his community is through providing as many resources and internships as possible towards STEM careers and pathways for his students.
2023 Recipients
Jenny Uribe is an 11th-12th grade counselor at Cristo Rey San Jose High School. Cristo Rey High School is composed entirely of first-generation college students, and under Jenny's leadership, Cristo Rey has had 100% of its students be eligible to apply to universities over the last four years. Jenny's commitment to keeping her students at the center of all she does has helped remove barriers in the already difficult college application process.
Caleb is a 6th-8th grade teacher at Willie Brown Middle School in San Francisco. He teaches a Mastering Cultural Identity Course which draws on African American culture to support students as they explore their identities. Caleb sees his students as holistic individuals, taking care of their needs both inside and outside of the classroom, and helps his students find their voices through writing.
Jaeve Luuhoang is a 6th-8th grade teacher at Sunrise Middle School in San Jose. Jaeve would like to honor her parents with this award as a tribute for the sacrifices they made when coming to the United States to give their children the chance to live and prosper with more than they ever had. Jaeve plans to use her grant to redesign her classroom in a way that encourages harmony with nature, self-discovery, and deep friendships.
Manuel Covarrubias is a community educator at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill. Manuel is passionate about encouraging youth to explore science, math, and robotics. He plans to use his grant money to purchase the necessary kits, equipment, and supplies to effectively teach underserved students with the proper software and tools.
Katie Berg is the principal of George C. Payne Elementary School. Katie's focus on social emotional learning is just one of the many tangible ways that she hopes to impact future generations and turn students into well-rounded individuals. With this grant, she is excited to gift every student their favorite book to get them started and inspired for the school's summer reading challenge.
Marc Gordon is an 11th-12th grade teacher at San Leandro High School. Marc has been dedicated to the development of today's youth ever since pursuing his undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley. Marc wrote the proposal to add AP Environmental Science at San Leandro High School and established the Eco Club to encourage sustainable behaviors. He hopes to serve as living proof to marginalized youth that they can overcome any barriers in their educational journey.
Kerry Sommer is a first grade teacher at Edenvale Elementary in San Jose. Kerry has been part of the Edenvale community for eight years and looks forward to using her grant to give her students access to "mirrors and windows" – the chance to see themselves reflected in the classroom and give her students diverse perspectives and experiences.
Matteo Enna is a Kindergarten teacher at Stipe Elementary in San Jose. Matteo's goal is to reach as many people within his community as possible. Through his anti-racist workshops, kindergarten classroom, and district-wide Young Black Scholars Club, he is committed to trailblazing his own path and hopefully inspire the next generation of teachers that will follow their bliss into a classroom of their own one day.
Lori Garmany is a community educator at Don Callejon Elementary School in Santa Clara. She hopes to use the funds from this grant to help bolster the work she is doing in the Life Skills program, which works with students with moderate-to-severe learning disabilities on functional academics and Iife skills, such as cooking, art, and community safety.
Jeannette Ramirez is the principal of Fiesta Gardens International School in San Mateo, a dual language immersion magnet school dedicated to promoting fluency, literacy and academic excellence in both English and Spanish. Jeannette and the Fiesta Gardens team always put their students first and encourage them to become well-rounded citizens in our society.
About Dr. Harry Edwards
The Dr. Harry Edwards "Follow Your Bliss" grant was created in 2017 by the 49ers Foundation for full-time educators across the Bay Area who exemplify a commitment to their students, families and communities to lead the future generation with purpose, passion, dedication and love.
The award's namesake stems from the first step in Dr. Edwards' Blueprint for Academic Achievement and Success: "Follow Your Bliss - Explore and consider paths that might lead not just to achieving a career interest but to realizing your calling – the educational option and emphasis that for you lies at the confluence of talent, passion, productive potential, and opportunity."
The award honors educators across the San Francisco Bay Area who lead the future generation with purpose, passion, dedication and love. The recipients of this award receive a $2,000 stipend for in-classroom materials and resources for the next academic year, mentorship of the recipients and his or her fellow teachers led by Dr. Edwards, and formal recognition at a Levi's® Stadium event with family and colleagues.
Dr. Harry Edwards' success as an athlete, a sociologist and an activist can be attributed to a strong work ethic, a work ethic he had to develop at a young age growing up in East St. Louis. In 1960, Edwards packed his bags and moved to the west coast to attend San Jose State on an athletic scholarship. Edwards went on to earn the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship and a University Fellowship to Cornell University where he completed a masters and a Ph.D. in sociology.
Dr. Edwards has always been a catalyst for change. In 1968, he was the lead organizer behind the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR). John Carlos and Tommie Smith, Olympic athletes from San Jose State, took part in this movement when they raised their fist in Black Power salute when they received their medals on the Olympic stand during the 1968 Olympics in Mexico.
In 1986, Edwards also began his work with the 49ers developing programming and counseling methods for the entire organization. He worked closely with head coach Bill Walsh to develop the Minority Coaches' Internship program, which was later adopted by the NFL in 1992 and still exists today as the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.
