Kirsten Salonga (she/her)

How are you using education to build more sustainable and equitable communities? Tell us about your EE work and impact. 

My goal is to bridge classroom theory and real-world application for 9th–12th grade Multilingual Learners (MLs) at my Title I school. By taking students outdoors, environmental education becomes a hands-on, lived experience that empowers them to view themselves as scientists.

Through successful grants (Kids to the Parks, Shenandoah Access, Toshiba America Foundation, and Educate Fairfax), I have funded transformative projects, including field trips to Great Falls and Shenandoah National Park involving staff and parents as chaperones; a courtyard watershed garden (with Get2Green) and solar-powered bird feeder cameras for eBird citizen science; a continuous hydroponics program where students explore food security, water, and energy conservation; and global exchanges through the "Symbolic Migration" in Mexico and the FCPS "Global Classroom Project" with Greece and Colombia, focused on UN Sustainable Development Goals.

These initiatives have led to increased student pride and growing interest in agriscience careers. The courtyard garden now serves as a permanent campus resource for IB research projects, creating a lasting culture of sustainability.

Tell us about your journey to where you are today. What inspired you? What has your path been like? 

I have always loved science, and I have been inspired by teachers in many subjects who were passionate about learning. When taking an introductory education class at the University of Tennessee, I learned that I would be able to utilize my content knowledge with my constant pursuit of pushing others to become interested and passionate about science. Skills obtained through the Fulbright in teaching English at Universidad Nacional in Bogotá, Colombia, allowed me to improve my own pedagogy in teaching Multilingual Learners (MLs) at Justice High School and Fairfax County Adult High School, Title I schools in Northern Virginia.

Through these experiences, I have improved ML accessibility in science, promoting language development alongside science vocabulary development in Biology, Environmental Science, Geosystems, and Physics. I have created curricula that many other educators currently use, emphasizing content understanding and stressing that students are scientists through the importance of student choice and experimental design. Because of the leadership roles that I have successfully pursued (Science Department Chair, NSTA High School Science Division Chair, etc.), I was chosen as a 2026–2027 Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, and my sponsoring agency is the Library of Congress!

How can people learn more about or support your work? 

To learn more about my work, you can visit any of the teacher fellowship blogs that I have published with the University of Tennessee College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, as well as any articles from our school and county about awards I have received. I have also published an article detailing my “Hydroponics in Action!” lesson in the Journal of Virginia Science Education, as well as a Data Nugget about research from Dr. Jeff Conner with Michigan State University. I think that one of the best ways to support my work is to read these articles to gain a better understanding of teaching Multilingual Learners. The true best way is to support and advocate for students from diverse backgrounds—in every setting.

A Little More About Me

What does true accessibility in environmental education look like for marginalized communities?
To me, accessibility means removing financial and logistical barriers through strategic initiatives, such as grant-writing and community engagement. In my classes, I ensure that every student has equal access to field trips, exciting laboratory equipment, and outdoor immersion opportunities. There is often the misconception that language acquisition must precede complex scientific inquiry: in reality, engaging my Multilingual Learners in hands-on experiences with authentic research improves both their academic language development and their own identity as scientists!

Who (or what) do you look up to as inspiration?
My family is my biggest inspiration and support. To choose to leave everything you know to give your students a better life—this has been the ultimate sacrifice and greatest gift I could have received.

What is one thing about you that might surprise others?
I have completed an ultramarathon!