Dr. Jazmín Puicón of BHSEC Newark has been named New Jersey’s History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. This award, selected by a panel of teachers, administrators, and scholars in each state, recognizes exceptional elementary through high school teachers for their outstanding contributions to American history education.

Additionally, Dr. Puicón is a top ten finalist for the National History Teacher of the Year Award, to be selected and announced later this fall. 

Dr. Puicón is an Assistant Professor of History at BHSEC Newark. She is a historian of modern Latin America with a specialization in Women’s and Gender History. Her research focuses on popular democracy, Afro-Colombian women, and working-class culture in urban Colombia. Her writing examines how the working class in Cali, Colombia sustained families and communities by embracing popular democracy despite increased local and national political violence.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to K–12 history education while also serving the general public. Its mission is to promote the knowledge and understanding of American history through educational programs and resources.

You can read the official announcement here and a Bard College announcement here.