Mrs. Chen - Follow Your Bliss Award Winner

The Dr. Harry Edwards "Follow Your Bliss" Award was created in 2017 to celebrate outstanding teachers in the Bay Area and highlight the work they are doing to educate youth, better the community, and create the next generation of thought leaders and change-makers.

"I am proud to honor the tremendous efforts of educators in our community who embody Dr. Edwards' vision," said Dr. John York. "These five individuals lead their students and community with kindness, making a conscious effort to connect with young people and teach them the importance of compassion and empathy, two skills you find beyond any textbook."

49ers EDU – which is a direct program of the 49ers Foundation – launched the Dr. Harry Edwards "Follow Your Bliss" educator grant three years ago for a Bay Area teacher who has shown a commitment to leading the future generation with purpose, passion, dedication and love. Each year the program has expanded with the support of great partners like Micron Technology, Inc., Extra Yards for Teachers (EYFT) and the NFL Foundation. This year's grants were awarded to five extremely deserving educators who will each receive a $5,000 stipend for in-classroom materials and other necessary resources for the 2020 – 2021 academic year.

"We believe that educators can inspire students to pursue a world of possibilities, leading and guiding them to make connections to the world beyond the classroom," said Dee Mooney, executive director of the Micron Foundation. "Micron is honored to support them and their work through this award."

"This award represents the tremendous dedication and passion that these outstanding professionals bring to the classroom every day. It was an honor to be part of the selection process." said Carly Campbell, EYFT Partnerships Manager.

The following individuals are this year's Follow Your Bliss recipients - an incredible group of teachers, administrators and community leaders who spend each and every day helping to foster a love of learning in their classroom and setting an example for their fellow educators in the community, leaving the world a little better than they found it:

Tiffany Ho, a fifth grade teacher at St. Bede Catholic School (Hayward), has taught for over 12 years. Tiffany has brought worldly experiences to her 29 fifth graders, introducing them to different careers and passions, like taking them to EA Sports to learn about video game development or to NASA, to learn what it takes to be an astronaut or even to her alma mater Holy Names University to inspire the next generation of teachers. The impact that Tiffany has had on her community and her students was put on display at her wedding when all six of her classes showed up to be a part of her wedding.