Person County Schools and Participate Learning are proud to announce that Stephanie Robles Castro, an international educator at Woodland Elementary, has been named a 2025 Participate Learning Teacher of the Year. This prestigious honor recognizes her exceptional commitment to student achievement, cultural exchange, and global learning.
The Participate Learning Teacher of the Year Award celebrates three educators across the Participate Learning Network who demonstrate an exceptional commitment to global education while preparing students to be globally competitive and career-ready in an increasingly interconnected world. Award recipients demonstrate excellence across four key pillars:
Connections – Building strong relationships with students, colleagues, and the broader school community, as well as fostering ties across the Participate Learning Network.
Cultural Experiences – Sharing their own culture while honoring those represented in their classroom, embracing U.S. culture, and providing meaningful learning experiences that broaden students’ local and global awareness.
Leadership – Taking initiative and serving in leadership roles within their school, district, community, and the Participate Learning Network.
Learning – Pursuing professional growth and designing innovative classroom experiences that prepare students with essential skills for future careers in a global workforce.
As a valued member of the Woodland Elementary community, Stephanie Robles Castro has earned the admiration of her colleagues and the deep respect of her school leadership. Her impact on students extends well beyond academic outcomes, as reflected in the words of Woodland Elementary Principal Dwayne Johnson:
“The academic and social growth of students speaks to Mrs. Robles’s natural abilities as an educator. Her patience, humor, energy, compassion, resilience, intellect, organization, and flexibility are all traits which stand out in the classroom. Whenever one walks inside Ms. Robles’s classroom, they observe high levels of engagement and differentiation through her intentionality of small group instruction. They also observe a commitment to the whole child as she utilizes her strong relationships with families, connections with community, and understanding of development to retrieve the most out of her students.”
Stephanie Robles Castro is part of Participate Learning’s Ambassador Teachers Program, which connects highly qualified international educators with U.S. schools. These teachers support student learning by strengthening academic achievement, encouraging critical thinking, and helping students develop skills for future careers. As part of a U.S. Department of State–designated exchange program, these educators teach on a non-immigrant visa for up to five years before returning home, fostering global connections through public–private partnerships. Their experience and perspectives give students the confidence to lead, adapt, and succeed in a competitive workforce.
“Our students today are the leaders of tomorrow’s workforce, and they must be equipped with knowledge, skills, and experiences that allow them to compete in a complex and interconnected marketplace,” said David Young, CEO of Participate Learning. “Teachers like Stephanie Robles Castro are shaping globally competitive, career-ready individuals by modeling what it means to be life-long learners in an ever changing world.”
As a 2025 Teacher of the Year, Robles Castro will continue to champion global education by:
Designing learning experiences that develop students’ global competencies.
Equipping learners with the knowledge and skills essential for success in a global economy.
Sharing innovative strategies with their school and the wider Participate Learning Network.
About Participate Learning
Since 1987, Participate Learning has partnered with schools and districts to prepare future-and career-ready students. Through programs and professional development offerings that prioritize language proficiency, global learning, and critical thinking, they strive to ensure students are ready to apply their learning in any career path they choose.
To learn more about the Ambassador Teachers Program, visit the Participate Learning website.
