Washington, DC — Last week, Congresswoman Aumua Amata had the opportunity to welcome American Samoa’s 2019 Territorial Teacher of the Year Jordanna Maga to the U.S. Capitol during her early May visit to Washington, and congratulate her again upon the Teacher of the Year honor.

“Congratulations to Jordanna Maga on her accomplishment and love of teaching,” said Aumua Amata. “Thank you so much, Jordanna and all our fine teachers, for the work you do and for caring for our young people and their lives. Teaching is an important profession for the growth and futures of our students, and we appreciate your dedication.”

Maga teaches Mathematics, including Calculus, Probability and Statistics, and Geometry, at Tafuna High School, where she once attended as a student. More than 50 teachers representing the educational systems in the States and Territories were in Washington last week for ongoing professional development opportunities through the Teacher of the Year program and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).

She holds a Master of Education degree in Secondary Education, along with a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics from Hawaii Pacific University. She wants to help students change negative perceptions of math and achieve more than they realize they can, and use her teaching to help develop critical thinkers and problem solvers.