Segun Adelegan, an Urban Teacher Center alumnus, is honored to be named the D.C. Public Schools New Teacher of the Year. Dual certified in math and special education, he spent his first year as a classroom teacher at Wheatley Education Campus, and now works with sixth and seventh grade students at Browne Education Campus. Mr. Adelegan was inspired to work with students while volunteering with a nonprofit mentorship group for youth, the COR Health Institute, during college. “I realized that my purpose was to engage and educate the youth of D.C.,” he recalls. “I wasted no time in making that dream a reality.”

Mr. Adelegan encourages his students by constantly referring to classroom goals throughout the year, and incorporating their career interests to illustrate the relevance of math concepts. He also invests a significant amount of effort in building relationships. “I try to connect with my students not only in the classroom but in their neighborhoods,” he explains. His class has responded to his high-energy classroom and belief in their capacity to learn. Last year, 100 percent of his seventh grade students demonstrated at least 1.5 years of growth in math. Mr. Adelegan says that his favorite part of being a teacher is his ability to reach students who lack academic self-confidence. Reflecting on his first year in the classroom, he insists, “The thing I love most about teaching is when students struggle in school finally get to that ‘a-ha’ moment. To see that look on their face is priceless.”