AMERICAN FORK, Utah — A Scottsboro High School educator is among four educators nationwide to receive the 2025 YouScience innovative Educator Award, honoring their exceptional leadership in connecting and preparing students for successful careers through innovative and intentional use of YouScience Brightpath.
The award recognizes educators who champion student-centered career exploration, skills development, and data-driven decision-making to ensure every learner connects their education to career outcomes and helps them thrive in our global economy.
Career Coach Malinda Sommers has helped students align personal goals with realistic educational pathways since becoming Scottsboro City Schools’ career coach in 2022. She has played a pivotal role in helping students understand their aptitudes and interests to chart successful postsecondary plans.
Her student-first philosophy and meaningful implementation of YouScience have made her a trusted advisor and powerful advocate for student success.
“Mrs. Malinda Sommers has spent her career pouring into the lives of Scottsboro students,” said Scottsboro City Schools Interim Superintendent Jason Hass. “Her passion and love for our kids prompted us to maximize her impact by placing her as our system’s career coach.
“Mrs. Sommers uses YouScience to help our students recognize their interests and aptitudes, and help them select courses that better prepare them for a career that will provide them with lifelong fulfillment.”
Highlights of Sommers’ work:
- Uses YouScience as a foundation for postsecondary planning to align student goals with realistic outcomes
- Centers every conversation on individual student aptitudes, guiding them with purpose and compassion
- Brings 22 years of experience to her work, with four years as Career Coach
The other winners are:
- Danielle Green, CTE Business Educator, Santee Education Complex, Los Angeles Unified School District
- Dr. Treesomia Walker, Former CTAE Director and Assistant Principal, Lamar County (Ga.) School System
- Candice Sears, Former Director of Instructional Services, Montgomery County (Ohio) Educational Service Center.
“We are proud to honor Malinda Sommers, Danielle Green, Dr. Treesomia Walker, and Candice Sears with the 2025 YouScience Innovative Educator Award,” said YouScience CEO Edson Barton. “These educators are true trailblazers in helping students uncover their potential and connect that potential best-fit career opportunities–building meaningful futures for every student.
“Their passion, creativity, and unwavering belief in their students make them shining examples of what’s possible in education.”
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