Anna K. Fridley Phi Kappa Phi Distinguished Teaching Award
Paola Torres Huayhualla
Paola Torres Huayhualla, an instructor of Spanish in the College of Letters of Science and a research professional for the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing, is the recipient of this year’s Anna K. Fridley Phi Kappa Phi Distinguished Teaching Award. The award, sponsored by the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, is given to a faculty member whose accomplishments with students reach beyond the classroom. It carries a $1,000 honorarium.
“Paola M. Torres Huayhualla is a remarkable educator who has an influence extending deep in the community of Bozeman, which makes her a perfect recipient for the award that honors work in community outreach and equity,” wrote her student Samuel Marshman in his letter supporting the nomination.
Torres Huayhualla consistently teaches how to apply the Spanish language in real world settings to help the surrounding community. Originally from Lima, Peru, she is a graduate of MSU’s Hispanic Studies program and currently finishing a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction in MSU’s Department of Education. She strives to incorporate community engagement activities into her classes by providing opportunities to converse with native Spanish speakers and facilitating cultural experiences for students on and off campus.
Beyond the classroom, Torres Huayhualla has been integral in building the Bozeman English Learner Literacy Alliance, which provides summer programming for migrant youth in grades K-8, and in developing Bridging Cultures, a program that teaches Spanish language and cultural awareness practices to Bozeman School District educators and staff to help them engage more effectively with Spanish-speaking students and their families.
She has also supported a research project called BIENESTAR, which expands access to counseling services for migrants, in collaboration with Sally Moyce at the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing.
Lucy Pether, another of her students, wrote in her recommendation of Torres Huayhualla, “She is truly an exceptional educator whose work continues to make a lasting difference in the lives of her students and in the Bozeman community.”