High school English teacher Mikaela Saelua of American Samoa has been named her territory’s 2025 Teacher of the Year, and one of four finalists for 2025 National Teacher of the Year. Photo credit: Marion Malena

I always enjoy sharing the story of an exceptional educators who have earned recognition for their work with young people. Today I share the story of Mikaela Saelua, a high school English teacher from American Samoa. She has been named her territory’s 2025 Teacher of the Year, and one of four finalists for 2025 National Teacher of the Year.

Mikaela teaches English to seniors, juniors, and sophomores at Leone High School in the villages of Vailoatai and Leone in the Western District of American Samoa. In addition, she is the class advisor for the senior class, the club advisor for the Forestry Club, the Peer Leaders Club, and the school’s volleyball coach.

As if all that were not enough, Mikaela fills the position of Department Chair of the school’s English Department, she leads the campus professional learning community, and serves as the Head of the campus Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Self-Study Team. And she is a National Pacific American Leadership Institute fellow as well as a former Executive Leadership Development Program fellow.

For her Samoan students who are learning the English language, Mikaela strives to design curriculum the goes beyond mere reading and writing. One of her favorite ways to do this is with a song translation project. In what culminates in music videos, her students learn figurative idioms, metaphors, and words to capture the soul of Samoan songs. “The goal isn’t just to teach them English,” Mikaela says, “it’s to help them appreciate and express themselves in a way that feels true to who they are.”

Mikaela earned her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. She earned her Master’s degree in Curriculum Studies from the University of Hawaii, Manoa.