Read about all four of our amazing finalists! We will announce the winners at the event on October 17th.

Stay tuned for the finalists of our Student Leader and Systems Changemaker categories - coming soon!

Alexandra Barraza - High School Math Teacher/Assistant Fastpitch Softball Coach/Head Slowpitch Softball Coach at Sunnyside HS

Alex (WA '16) is beginning her 4th year at Sunnyside HS in Sunnyside Wa. Alex coaches fastpitch softball and most recently was selected by a committee of administrators, head coaches, parents, and students to be the head coach of a new slowpitch softball program. Coaching has given Alex opportunities to build relationships with students as well as learn about all the hidden treasures in a rural community. Alex has facilitated school wide professional development and PLC work, organized a virtual career fair with the help of TFA and SHS staff, and developed trust with student/athletes in order to push them to aim for excellence every day.

Sunny Sinco Kittleson - Success Dean and admin intern at Cascade Middle School in Highline Public School

Sunny (WA '12), a homegrown alum of Seattle-Tacoma, started at Dimmitt MS. She developed grounding values for rigorous instruction and community partnership. In 2016, she joined the founding team at Destiny CMS. There, she completed her National Boards and earned a national fellowship with Wit & Wisdom. Twice, she was featured in Green Dot’s blog, and in 2018 was named Green Dot WA’s Teacher of the Year. Working toward school leadership, now she’s a Success Dean in HPS and studying at UW Danforth.

Bo Mendez - Music and Computer Science Teacher, Senior Mentor at Summit Sierra Public School

Bo Mendez (WA '14) has taught as a corps member in TFA for Noble Prep in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, and then at Decatur HS in Federal Way. There he taught Algebra II and Pre-Calculus while continuing research for TFA in the area of excellent schools. He has taught math, computer science, and music at Summit Sierra High School since 2016. As a Columbia City resident, Bo enjoys teaching with the Sierra team to impact the students of Seattle. Bo has loved starting his school’s first Hack Club and he is also leading the Latinx Student Union. As his daughter grows, he keeps this mission close to his mind: creating opportunities for all students to meet their full potential.

Ellen Want - Kindergarten Teacher at South Shore PK-8 in Seattle Public Schools

Ellen (CO '13) first taught in a charter school in Colorado and then moved to Seattle where she found herself collaborating with fellow educators in a way that deeply inspired her. Ellen's proudest accomplishments have come through partnering with students and families in identity work and the belief that students at any age have the right to think critically about complex issues. Ellen believes that teaching is nearly impossible without deep & critical relationships with other educators. Through these relationships, Ellen has developed a vision of a better education system and has been able to work with her team to dive deeply into work with students.