COEHS graduate student and ESE mentor teacher receives the Marva Collins Diversity Award at the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)

Huyen Le, COEHS graduate student and teacher at Atlantic Coast High School, received the Marva Collins Diversity Award at the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Annual Convention & Expo in Louisville, KY on March 2, 2023, from the Division for Learning Disabilities (DLD). The Marva Collins Diversity Award honors a special education teacher who makes a significant impact in the education of children and youths with learning disabilities who come from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The award consists of, (a) $500 stipend, (b) travel to the national CEC conference, and (c) a commemorative plaque.

Huyen Le is currently a UNF College of Education and Human Services graduate student working on her Master's in Educational Leadership. She is a Varying Exceptionalities Teacher at Atlantic Coast High School in Duval County. She promotes a culture of diversity and equity by collaborating with exceptional student education (ESE) specialists and general education teachers to deliver differentiated instruction to students with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. She also mentors ESE teachers in writing and implementing effective individualized education plans and serves as a mentor to interns from UNF aspiring to become ESE teachers. She is honored to receive the Marva Collins Diversity Award because her parents were Vietnamese immigrants. Her parents' hard work and resilience inspired her to become the first person in her family to graduate from college and become an educator. Her purpose in education is to leave a distinctive imprint that cultivates a legacy of love, hope, and transformation.