Inouye Elementary assistant principal wins $25K Milken award

Esther Kwon — a Daniel K. Inouye Elementary School educator whom some students fondly call “DJ Kwon” for her use of music to engage students in her class — was named Hawaii’s latest recipient of the prestigious Milken Educator Award at a surprise award ceremony Tuesday.

Amid deafening cheering from hundreds of students along with colleagues and dignitaries packed inside the Wahiawa school’s cafeteria, Kwon, an assistant principal, was lauded as a school leader, teacher mentor and innovator, and given an unrestricted $25,000 award to spend as she wishes.

Kwon also will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to join fellow 2022 Milken award recipients from around the nation at the Milken Educator Awards Forum in April in Los Angeles.

Kwon, 32, said after the ceremony that she hopes more people will consider joining the teaching profession. “I think if you value meaningful work and an opportunity to continuously grow and learn, teaching is a wonderful opportunity to make that impact and also grow professionally and personally. I think there’s no other profession that really hits home to the fact that you can really improve someone’s life trajectory by providing them a sense of belonging, and creating awesome learning opportunities for students to be able to really dig deep into.”

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, state schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi and Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Jane Foley praised Kwon as they presented the award during the ceremony at the school at Schofield Barracks.

“Esther is an outstanding innovator who continually finds new ways to motivate students to incorporate their passions and interests into their work to keep them inspired and engaged,” Haya­shi said in a statement. “We are very grateful to have such an exceptional educator, and congratulate her on this well-deserved award.”

When asked the meaning of awarding Kwon at a relatively young age, Foley said by email that the award program’s focus on early- to midcareer educators “is intentional. The Milken Educator Award is not a lifetime achievement award; it is recognition for recipients’ achievements to this point, and even more so, for their potential to stay in the profession, strengthen their impact, and inspire other young, capable people to join the adventure of teaching.”

Kwon holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Virginia and a master’s in elementary education from Johns Hopkins University.

She has served in an unusually wide range of roles in her 10 years at the school formerly known as Hale Kula Elementary, including teaching fifth graders and serving as the school’s gifted-­and-talented teacher, according to a state Department of Education news release.

Kwon also has provided after-school tutoring and Korean-language instruction, mentored new teachers, advised the student council, served on the school community council and led the Pineapple Academy distance learning program for 12 elementary schools in the Leilehua-Mililani-Waialua Complex Area. As a Hawai‘i State Teacher Fellow, she has published articles on project-based learning and increasing student engagement, and led discussions on education policy.

Kwon’s international upbringing — she attended 10 schools in Korea, Canada and the U.S. — spurred her emphasis on the importance of belonging in her students’ academic success and social-emotional well-being, a DOE statement said. As she now serves a student population almost entirely composed of military dependents, “Kwon helps them to overcome challenges associated with frequent family relocations that are a part of military service and stay focused on academic success,” the DOE statement said.

Since 1987 the Milken Educator Awards — often called “the Oscars of Teaching” — have recognized teaching excellence among public educators, to inspire educators as well as to highlight the importance of joining the teaching profession. Hawaii joined the program in 1990. The Milken Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Santa Monica, Calif., and the Milken Educator Awards will be presented at up to 40 schools across the nation.