91°µÍř graduate named 2020 Maryland Teacher of the Year
Teresa Beilstein, ’07, was named the 2019-2020 Maryland Teacher of the Year by the Maryland State Department of Education. Beilstein, who graduated from Loyola with a degree in economics, teaches third grade at South Shore Elementary School for Anne Arundel County Public Schools.
Beilstein, who will compete for National Teacher of the Year next April, will spend the upcoming year as a speaker and advisor, representing the State of Maryland at meetings and events hosted by the National Teacher of the Year Program.
“This profession is truly an honor,” said Beilstein, according to a press release shared by Anne Arundel County Public Schools. “It is the intersection of my passion and purpose. I am so lucky to have a career that fulfills me as a person. It’s more than I could ever ask for, and I’m honored to represent my colleagues across the state.”
As an undergraduate student at Loyola, Beilstein was a member of the Green & Grey Society, the Student Leadership Corps, the Evergreens, Student Ambassadors, and the Senior Class Gift Committee. In addition to being active in the Adam Smith Economic Society and Campus Ministry, Beilstein was involved with the Community Service Council, serving at Beans & Bread and the House of Mercy. She was also a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, Omicron Delta Epsilon (the international economics honor society), and Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.
Beilstein’s professors in the Sellinger School of Business remember her as a bright, poised, and academically accomplished student who showed natural leadership and a love of learning.
“At Loyola, we take pride in seeing our graduates go on to achieve so much personally and professionally, and we’re thrilled to celebrate this well-deserved recognition with Teresa,” said Amanda M. Thomas, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We tell our students we want them to graduate ready for anything and ready for everything. It’s wonderful to see how Teresa is making the most of her Jesuit, liberal arts education and helping this next generation learn and grow.”
After graduating from Loyola, Beilstein worked for SunTrust Bank before earning a Master of Arts in Teaching and a Master of Science in Organizational Psychology from Walden University.
Loyola has a history of graduates who have been selected as Teacher of the Year at the county level.
Melinda P. Wright, M.Ed. ’93, was also a finalist for Maryland Teacher of the Year this year as Charles County Teacher of the Year. Wright is a second-grade inclusion teacher at Mt. Hope/Nanjemony Elementary School and runs an afterschool STEAM program for K-3rd graders and co-coaches Girls on the Run for 4th and 5th grades.
In 2019, Heather Carnaghan, M.Ed. ’15, was named Anne Arundel County Teacher of the Year, and Daleisha Myers, who completed Loyola's Certificate in Administration and Supervision in 2018, was named Prince George's County Teacher of the Year. In 2017, Justin Holbrook, M.Ed. ’17, was named Baltimore City Public Schools’ Teacher of the Year.