Hilo teacher wins $25,000 Milken award
Rory Inouye, a math teacher at Waiakea High School, has won a $25,000 national Milken Educator Award.
Milken Educator Awards Founder Lowell Milken – alongside Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke and state Superintendent of Education Keith Hayashi – surprised Inouye this morning with the announcement in front of cheering students, proud colleagues, local dignitaries and news media.
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Inouye, who is a graduate of Waiakea High, can spend the money however he chooses.
Inouye was completely unaware of his candidacy for the award. Recipients are sought out while early to mid-career for what they have achieved – and for the promise of what they will accomplish given the resources and opportunities afforded by the award.
Inouye is the first Milken Educator Award recipient from the Big Island since 2007 and the second and final Hawaii honoree for the 2023-24 season.
Jade Pham, student services coordinator at Prince David Kawananakoa Middle School in Honolulu, received the award Monday.
“Hailing from a family of educators with deep roots in the community, Rory Inouye’s passion for teaching and learning is evident in every endeavor,” Milken said. “Rory’s innovation in the classroom, coupled by his leadership and investment in the school at large, are making an indelible impact on students, colleagues, and the community he proudly serves. We congratulate Rory and welcome him to the Milken Educator Network.”
The awards will honor up to 75 recipients across the country in 2023-24 as part of the Milken Family Foundation’s Journey to the 3,000th Milken Educator, and 2023-24 will reach $75 million in individual financial prizes spanning the length of the initiative, with more than $144 million invested in the Milken Educator Award national network overall.
The awards aim to empower recipients to “celebrate, elevate, and activate” the K-12 profession and inspiring young, capable people to pursue teaching as a career.
“Rory is an exceptional teacher who tailors math and problem-solving lessons to his students’ diverse backgrounds and talents to make learning a truly personal and engaging journey,” Hayashi said. “His firm belief in student-led learning and real-world applications allows his students to see the practical relevance of mathematics in their daily lives, making abstract concepts tangible and intuitive. We are very lucky to have teachers like Rory who work hard to make learning fun and meaningful for students of all levels.”
See Wednesday’s edition of the Tribune-Herald for more.
