Katie Milano

Tell us why you became a teacher

Physical Education was a part of my day where I finally felt seen. I was a young girl with brothers, who never let her score the winning shot. I was a girl who had messy hair, a competitive spirit and low math scores. To most, I was just another loud mouthed kid who started trouble, but in P.E., I was lucky enough to have had teachers who found my character traits important and valuable. I knew that to honor these educators who came before me I needed to create a legacy, as a teacher myself.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

Kids Heart Challenge has been a cornerstone of my program. The American Heart Association advocates for heart health and hands only CPR. Not being able to afford CPR dummies last year, I pivoted and used handballs during a lesson instead. Our AHA reps were so impressed with our dedication to learning, they donated a whole CPR kit to our school! Now students for years to come will learn these life saving skills using high quality teaching materials.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would really love to enhance our school’s outdoor playground area. I am a public charter school PE teacher in Southern California. I teach completely outdoors, all year round. I would love to redesign our playground to have higher quality turf, shade structures and play equipment to use during PE time.