Pasadena Teacher From Hamilton Elementary Receives $25K Milken Educator Award

Nichole Anderson remarks on the honor. – Courtesy photo / PUSD

Pasadena educator empowers school code warriors with next-gen computer skills

The newest technologies and the youngest students go hand in hand at Nichole Anderson’s computer lab classroom at Hamilton Elementary. By giving students in kindergarten through fifth grade access to and expertise in technologies such as 3-D printing, computer coding, robotics, word processing and web applications, Anderson is building a platform for students to succeed from an early age, whatever the future may bring. A charismatic and caring teacher who knows the names of all 600 kids in her school, she finds ways to make technology personal, approachable and concrete for her students.

Students cheer during the assembly. – Courtesy photo / PUSD

But it was Anderson’s name that got called at a surprise school assembly where she was presented with a Milken Educator Award by Milken Family Foundation Chairman and Co-Founder Lowell Milken and Pasadena Unified Superintendent Dr. Brian McDonald.

A surprised Anderson was named a 2018-19 recipient of the national recognition, which comes with an unrestricted $25,000 cash prize. She is the only Milken Educator Award winner from California this year, and is among the 33 honorees.

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