Press Releases    All Press Releases

Kirtland Elementary Teacher Starts 2025 with Surprise $25,000 Milken Educator Award

Rashinda Billie is the only educator in New Mexico to receive the national Award this season

January 15, 2025

Kirtland, N.M. — The new year came with an unexpected honor for Rashinda Billie, a fourth grade teacher at Kirtland Elementary School in Kirtland, New Mexico. At a schoolwide assembly today in front of cheering students, colleagues, dignitaries and media, Billie was surprised with the Milken Educator Award and a check for $25,000. Milken Educator Awards Vice President Jennifer Fuller, together with New Mexico's Public Education Department Deputy Secretary of Identity, Equity and Transformation, Dr. Candice Castillo, presented Billie with the honor. She is the only teacher in the state to receive the Award in the 2024-25 season.

"We are thrilled to welcome Rashinda Billie into the ranks of America's most incredible educators," said Fuller, herself a Milken Educator from Texas in 2017. “Rashinda's creativity in the classroom, enthusiasm for education, and leadership have made a significant impact on her students, colleagues and her community. Welcome to the Milken Educator Network!"

Today, Billie 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.

"Rashinda represents the very best of New Mexico's educators. Her dedication to her students, her innovative teaching methods, and her deep commitment to her community embody the transformative power of education," said New Mexico Secretary Designate for Education Mariana Padilla. "As New Mexico's latest Milken Educator, she inspires not only her students at Kirtland Elementary but educators across our state to reach for excellence. Congratulations, Rashinda —you make New Mexico proud!"

Outstanding educators like Billie 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.

More About Rashinda Billie

Navajo Leader with Inspiring, Creative Classroom: Billie fosters a dynamic and engaging learning environment at Kirtland Elementary. The school, which serves a majority Navajo student population, is on the outskirts of the Navajo reservation. Billie, a member of the Navajo community herself, is dedicated to her students and believes fun is the key to learning. Her classroom is a vibrant hub of energy, movement, conversation and discovery, where Billie actively seeks innovative ways to captivate her students. Creating experiences that inspire enthusiasm and curiosity, Billie's approach is rooted in hands-on, manipulative learning, providing a strong foundation for her students while allowing them to build and expand on their skills. Activities like mystery science lessons and incorporating technology whenever possible enrich her curriculum and her students' progress. Her methods regularly yield positive results, with her classes demonstrating significant growth in assessments, including high math performance. 

Committed to Excellence in Education: A natural leader, Billie consistently demonstrates generosity and collaboration with her colleagues, sharing best practices, resources and innovative ideas. Never content with the status quo, she actively seeks opportunities for growth and improvement and has played a key role on several school committees, including the Reading Goal Team, the Math Goal Team, and leading the Professional Learning Committee. Additionally, she was selected to attend professional development sessions and share her learnings with colleagues to develop their collective expertise. 

Generous Mentor and Consistent Community Presence: Billie's positive influence and leadership extend beyond her classroom to the school and community as she serves as the math chair, grade-level lead teacher; assists with the school's math night and fall festival; and coaches girls' cross country and track at nearby Shiprock High School. 

Education: A graduate of Fort Lewis College, Billie earned her Bachelor of Arts in education from in 2014 and her Master of Arts in cultural and linguistically diverse education in 2024. 

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 this 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.

Follow the Milken Educator Awards tour and use the #MEA3K and #MilkenAward hashtags on: Facebook (MilkenEducatorAwards)| X (Milken)| YouTube (MilkenAward)| Instagram (MilkenFamilyFdn)| LinkedIn (MilkenFamilyFdn)| TikTok (MilkenAward).

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.

---