Two Cal State Fullerton graduates were among six people named 2026 Teachers of the Year by the Orange County Department of Education. The department recognized Anaheim educators Jeannette Aguilera, a third-grade teacher, and Megan Lee, a transitional kindergarten teacher, for their commitment to developing students’ leadership skills, engaging students’ families, and teaching about community resources.
Aguilera ’10 (B.S. child and adolescent development) teaches at Anaheim’s Centralia Elementary School. As an educator for the past 11 years, Aguilera helps her students see the best in themselves. Every morning, her class gathers for a “community circle,” where they go over the day’s activities, discuss a topic and recite an inspirational quote chosen by a student.
Aguilera’s students also learn foundational skills by leading the circle, recognizing classmates for their accomplishments and creating mission statements such as “Make good choices, even when no one else is watching.”
Lee ’12, ’14 (B.A. liberal studies, M.S. education) teaches at Anaheim’s Loara Elementary School. Transitional kindergarten, or TK, helps prepare 4-year-olds for school and is part of the state’s drive to offer pre-kindergarten programs to every young student.
Now in her 10th year in the profession, Lee inspires students to go beyond the curriculum. She focuses on a strong support network and strives to build community with students’ families. “Meetups with Mrs. Lee” after school and on weekends have included tours of a library, a fire station and the Yakult bottling factory in Fountain Valley.
Aguilera, Lee, and three other Orange County Teachers of the Year who teach K-12 are eligible to advance to the California Teachers of the Year program. California Teachers of the Year will be announced in October.