Celia Ayenesazan, a Special Education teacher at Hull Middle School, has earned recognition as an EcoRise Teacher Ambassador. The EcoRise Teacher Ambassador Program honors experienced leaders in sustainability education who exhibit an unwavering commitment to elevate youth voices, expand educational programs, advance systems change, and build a thriving organization committed to climate justice.

Ms. Ayenesazan is committed to the work. “This is my fifth year as a Gwinnett Green and Healthy Schools (GHS) member,” she explains. “By serving as an EcoRise Teacher Ambassador, I will provide support to teachers within Gwinnett County Public Schools, specifically the Gwinnett GHS and the metro Atlanta region, to encourage students to improve local environmental and social issues through advocacy, design thinking, and change-making.” 

Ms. Ayenesazan is one of 33 EcoRise Teacher Ambassadors who regularly and effectively implement EcoRise curriculum, Eco-Audits, green-school projects, and microgrants. They also leverage EcoRise support services and connect with community partners and the larger EcoRise teacher community. Ms. Ayenesazan hopes to continue the work she started last year at Radloff Middle School, where her students established a partnership between EcoRise and Southwest Airlines’ Repurpose with Purpose Program. Ms. Ayenesazan challenged her students to create ways to upcycle leather seat covers donated to the class through Southwest Airlines’ Repurpose with Purpose Program. Students surveyed their school to learn what items would be useful, then applied for an Eco-Audit Grant to purchase tools and supplies before creating and testing prototypes. Money earned from selling the final products, keychains, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and aprons, was used to benefit school programs. The students’ repurposed products saved 150 pounds of leather waste from entering landfills.  

“I hope to share with students that they can make a difference,” Ms. Ayenesazan explains. “As a special education teacher, I strive to implement innovative methods to empower all students. When you love what you do, you dedicate your efforts to making a difference in the lives of all students.”