Maryland High School English Teacher Wins Global Teacher Prize

Inside Edition
By Taneasha White

Keisha Thorpe’s dedication to her students has been recognized more than once, with this time bringing her to the front of a long line of over 8,000 applicants from around the world.
A high school teacher from Maryland has won the Global Teacher Prize.

The Varkey Foundation announced this week that the prize of $1 million was awarded to Keisha Thorpe, an English teacher at the International High School at Langley Park.

According to the foundation, Thorpe’s application stood out among 8,000 nominations and applications from 121 countries across the globe.

The Jamaica native revamped International’s 12th grade English curriculum to make it culturally relevant to her students from differing backgrounds and immigration statuses, according to the foundation.

This is not the first time the teacher has been recognized. In addition to being named National Life Changer of the Year for 2018-2019, Thorpe was awarded the Medal of Excellence for her work in education policy equity by Larry Hogan, the governor of Maryland.

Thorpe helps students with college and scholarship applications. According to the foundation, she helped her kids win a collective $6.7 million in scholarships during the 2018-2019 school year.

Thorpe herself went to college on a track-and-field scholarship, which ultimately inspired her to found the U.S. Elite International Track and Field — a nonprofit aimed at helping marginalized student athletes reach their goals of higher education— alongside her twin sister, Dr. Treisha Thorpe.

During the ceremony that was streamed live, Thorpe said, “Education is a human right, and all children should be entitled to have access to it,”

“So this recognition is not just about me, but about all the dreamers who work so hard and dare to dream of ending generational poverty.”