School & Family Magazine Newstand Arlington Nov/Dec 2017 | Page 6

ACHS Teacher Jennifer Fuller
Awarded Prestigious Milken
Educator Award, $25,000
By Anthony Andro
Arlington Collegiate
High School English
teacher Jennifer Fuller
was undecided if she
was going to curl her
hair when she went to
school Oct. 18. While Haggerty didn’t know that to be a fact, she
was right as minutes later Foley was calling Fuller’s
name and television cameras and still photographers
began following her every move.
It’s a good thing
Fuller decided to go
the extra step. “This was a complete surprise,” Fuller said. “We had
just heard there was an assembly and we knew that
Dr. Cavazos and the commissioner [Morath] were
going to be here. We didn’t know what it was going
to be like. It was all really a blur.”
Fuller was surprised
that morning at an
assembly to find
out she was the recipient of the Milken Educator
Award, an honor that’s been dubbed the “Oscars
of Teaching.” Fuller, who had never heard of the
award before an assembly that included guests like
Superintendent Dr. Marcelo Cavazos and Texas
Education Commissioner Mike Morath, received a
$25,000 unrestricted cash prize.
The Milken Educator Award goes to educators across
the country with the purpose of celebrating, elevating
and activating innovators and inspiring students
to consider a career as a teacher. As many as 45
teachers can receive the award annually.
Fuller has been teaching in the AISD for 15
years and ACHS Principal Dr. Ben Bholan
believes she was deserving of the honor.
Bholan and a select few in attendance
at the assembly knew Fuller was going
to receive the award. Fuller had no clue.
As Milken Awards Senior Vice President
Dr. Jane Foley talked about what it takes
to win the award, co-worker Veronica
Haggerty kept leaning over to Fuller and
saying she was going to win the award. 
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Arlington School & Family
At least that’s what Fuller was told. Her recollection
of winning was a little sketchy because of the shock.
Fuller has spent her entire teaching career in the
AISD and has been at ACHS since the school
opened three years ago. 
After winning the award, Fuller was asked to speak
to the assembly and she talked about how special
it is to be a teacher and how the students at ACHS
have changed her life.
“We have a really great time and work really hard,”
Fuller said. “I love the students. I love teaching. I
love getting to have a piece of their life. Every day
it’s fun. They make me a better person, and I love
spending time with them.”