September 11, 2012 – The White House and the President’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for Hispanics recognized 4th grade bilingual immersion program teacher Sylvia Padilla of the Long Beach Unified School District for her accomplishments in improving instruction and assessment of state standards in Spanish and English. She was one of 10 teachers honored August 31 by the White House. Padilla, a bilingual teacher for 20 years, is the Los Angeles County Teacher of the Year and California Association of Bilingual Education Teacher of the Year. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University, Long Beach.  “It’s incredible to receive this kind of honor and privilege, but I couldn’t accept it without acknowledging [my colleagues] who work with me and challenge me to always strive for more,” Padilla told the Business Journal. “I’m never satisfied. I’m always looking for more ways of making learning fun and accessible so that every child is challenged in two languages. I want to thank the district, Long Beach Unified, for supporting the dual-language program. . . . It’s like a dream. I still am in awe of it because to be recognized for something that you love to do is really tremendous. I’m so happy that they recognized me, but really that they recognized my school.” (Photograph by the Business Journal’s Thomas McConville)