University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Department of History alumna Misha Matsumoto Yee was named the 2022 National History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. She was selected from a nationwide pool of 6,008 nominated teachers.
Matsumoto Yee, a history teacher at St. Andrew’s Schools – The Priory in Honolulu, earned a master’s degree in American History from UH Mānoa. She will be honored on Tuesday, October 18, at a ceremony in New York City, which will also be livestreamed beginning at 5 p.m. ET. Matsumoto Yee will also receive a prize of $10,000 and will serve as an ambassador for the teaching community and a spokesperson on the importance of high-quality American history education for all, particularly students from underserved communities.
“It was a surprise and an honor to have been named the National History Teacher of the Year,” said Matsumoto Yee. “The Priory students, with their enthusiasm and curiosity, motivate me every day. I share this honor with them and with my colleagues, all of whom have a love of teaching that translates to a profoundly rich learning experience for our students, preparing them to engage with purpose as young leaders.”
“We are proud of Misha’s accomplishments as a history teacher, and thrilled by this recognition by the Gilder Lehrman Institute,” said Shana Brown, UH Mānoa associate professor of history and department chair. “Misha came to our program already passionate about history research and dedicated to community service and empowerment through education.”
Matsumoto Yee is currently the upper school social science department chair at St. Andrew’s Schools – The Priory. She teaches Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. history, AP government and politics, U.S. history, U.S. government, world cultures and religions, and electives including independent inquiry (a research writing course) and a Model United Nations class. She helped to create the Global Leadership criteria at St. Andrew’s Schools and has served as a reader for the College Board’s AP U.S. History Exam since 2018.
“We are proud to be honoring Misha Matsumoto Yee not only for her dedicated and impactful work with her students in Hawaiʻi, but for modeling the highest standards of service and leadership in her profession,” said Gilder Lehrman Institute President James Basker. “She is proof that teachers are indeed the lifeblood of the system, and we are all forever indebted to them.”
