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Automotive All-Star Teacher Joshua Marmolejo Surprised with $25,000 Milken Educator Award in Clint
Clint High School's Joshua Marmolejo earns first-ever Milken Educator Award in district history
February 07, 2025
Santa Monica, Calif. — What an exciting day to be a lion! An assembly this afternoon at Clint High School (CHS) with Texas Education Agency Deputy Commissioner of Operations Alejandro Delgado took an unexpected turn as Milken Educator Awards Senior Vice President Dr. Jane Foley announced the real reason for their visit: to surprise one of the country's most extraordinary educators! In a flash, CHS P-TECH automotive technology teacher Joshua Marmolejo heard Dr. Foley call his name as a 2024-25 Texas Milken Educator Award recipient.
Along with the Award, Marmolejo received a $25,000 cash prize that he can use however he chooses. Marmolejo is well-known on the CHS campus for heading the P-TECH automotive technology program, fueled through a partnership with El Paso Community College. He is the first-ever Milken Educator Award recipient in Clint ISD history.
"Joshua Marmolejo's passion for his craft and leadership in the P-TECH automotive technology program are creating a roadmap for students to succeed in school and the workforce," said Dr. Foley, who is a 1994 Indiana Milken Educator herself. "Beyond the classroom, Joshua plays an important role in his professional learning community and serves students and families throughout the district. We welcome Joshua into the Milken Educator Network, where he will have the opportunity to expand his impact and change even more lives. Congratulations!"
Today Marmolejo joins a national network of over 3,000 Milken Educators spanning the Awards' nearly 40-year history as the nation's preeminent teacher-recognition program. Hailed as the "Oscars of Teaching," the Milken Educator Awards inspire educators, students and entire communities to "Celebrate, Elevate and Activate" the K-12 teaching profession and encourage young, capable people to pursue teaching as a career. More than $75 million in individual financial prizes and more than $145 million have been invested in the Milken Educator Award national network overall.
"As someone who personally benefited from a robust CTE program when I was in high school, I know firsthand the positive impact Mr. Marmolejo has on his students," said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath. "Joshua's commitment to giving his students the foundation for career success embodies the spirit of the Milken Educator Award and I'm honored to celebrate him. On behalf of the more than 370,000 public school educators across Texas, congratulations!"
Outstanding educators like Marmolejo are not aware of their 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.
Marmolejo is the second and final Texas Milken Educator for the 2024-25 season and 59th recipient overall since the state joined the initiative in 2000. Nancy Chavira of Johanna O’Donnell Intermediate School in Fabens ISD was recognized with the Award earlier this morning, Feb. 7.
More About Joshua Marmolejo
Inspiring Positive Change: Joshua Marmolejo is trailblazing exciting, new pathways for Clint High School (CHS) students to head to college or the workforce through his automotive technology classes. As Region 19's first P-TECH (Pathways of Technology Early College High School) instructor, Marmolejo helped build the program through his role as an instructor at El Paso Community College (EPCC). In his P-TECH automotive technology program, CHS students can obtain their high school diploma and industry-recognized credentials, with some students even earning their associate's degrees. Students benefit from his leadership and experiences as a mechanical engineer and certified automotive master technician.
Building Bright Futures: Marmolejo's classes balance the use of his classroom and automotive shop. He prepares students for college-level courses by delivering lectures on Mondays and supporting core curriculum by weaving math, science, reading and writing practices into his lessons. Students gain hands-on experience in all aspects of vehicle maintenance and repair, including welding and learning to calibrate vehicle, transmission and engine control modules. Marmolejo holds students responsible for tracking their learning progress by creating a digital video portfolio of their work.
Community-Oriented Leadership: Holding a Master Teacher Designation from the Texas Education Agency, Marmolejo's leadership is valued at CHS and beyond. He serves on CHS' P-TECH advisory committee, homecoming planning team and participates in the school's professional learning community (PLC) and in Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) meetings. His positive influence extends to EPCC, where he serves on the career advisory committee. The Clint community is often intertwined with Marmolejo's class: Students have attended community events, including one with Ford Motor Company at EPCC, and frequently work on cars at their automotive shop, which is open to CHS staff and the public.
Education: Marmolejo earned his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso in 2016.
The Milken Educator Award Reaps Lifelong Benefits
- The $25,000 cash Award is unrestricted. Recipients have used the money in diverse ways. Some recipients have spent the funds on their children's or their own continuing education, financing dream field trips, establishing scholarships, and even adopting children.
- Honorees receive powerful mentorship opportunities for expanded leadership roles that strengthen education practice and policy. Milken Friends Forever (MFF) pairs a new recipient with a veteran Milken Educator mentor; the Expanding MFF Resource and Explorer Program fosters individual veteran Milken Educator partnerships around specific topic areas; and Activating Milken Educators promotes group collaboration in and across states to bring solutions to pressing educational needs.
- The honorees attend an all-expenses-paid Milken Educator Awards Forum in Los Angeles in April, where they will network with their new colleagues as well as veteran Milken Educators and other education leaders about how to broaden their impact on K-12 education.
- Veteran Milken Educators demonstrate a wide range of leadership roles at state, national and international levels.
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Visit MilkenEducatorAwards.org or call the Milken Family Foundation at (310) 570-4772 for more information.
About the Milken Educator Awards: "The Future Belongs to the Educated"
The first Milken Educator Awards were presented by the Milken Family Foundation in 1987. Created by philanthropist and education visionary Lowell Milken, the Awards provide public recognition and individual financial rewards of $25,000 to K-12 teachers, principals, and specialists from around the country who are furthering excellence in education. Recipients are heralded in early- to mid-career for what they have achieved and for the promise of what they will accomplish. The Milken Family Foundation celebrates more than 40 years of elevating education in America and around the world. Learn more at MFF.org.