Karina Herrera teaches kindergarten at the Chancellor Avenue School and coaches older students in cheerleading.
Irvington kindergarten teacher Karina Herrera wants to help her students the way a teacher helped her when she was new to this country.
She came to the United States from the Dominican Republic when she was 11, without knowing how to speak English. She said she felt lost, out of place, and was dealing with being separated from her father at the time.
“When I first arrived in the U.S., I struggled to understand the language and my surroundings,” she said. ”Leaving my father behind made that transition even more emotional and difficult. But everything changed when I met one teacher who took the time to truly care about me. She made me feel safe, welcomed, and capable. She didn’t just teach me English, she helped me believe in myself.”
Herrera said that experience shaped her life.
“Today, I strive to be that same teacher for my students, especially those learning English or adjusting to a new environment,” Herrera said. “I want them to feel seen, supported, and confident every single day.”
Herrera, who has taught at the Chancellor Avenue School for three years, is a contestant in the America’s Favorite Teacher competition. She is one of ten finalists.
The America’s Favorite Teacher competition is a nationwide campaign that raises funds and awareness for The Planetary Society, which is a non-profit space organization, co-founded in 1980 by Carl Sagan, Bruce Murray, and Louis Friedman to empower citizens to advance space science and exploration. The organization is currently led by Bill Nye and it focuses on three core areas: exploring worlds, finding life, and defending Earth from asteroids.
The teacher competition is a public-voting contest that celebrates educators, with the 2025/2026 winner receiving $25,000, a trip to Hawaii, and a school assembly with Bill Nye. The winning teacher’s inspiring story will also appear in Reader’s Digest, celebrating their influence on education.
The contest is about more than recognition, according to Herrera, who said that if she wins she will “pour everything back into my school community.”
“We lack many resources and this would allow me to provide my students with the opportunities and tools they truly deserve,” she said.
Herrera, who is 28 years old, heard about the contest through Instagram.
“I post my (school) projects sometimes and another teacher saw what I posted and she sent me a link (to the contest) and said this was something I should try out,” Herrera said. Thousands of teachers apply but Herrera has made it to the top 10.
“I shared the link with my principal and was allowed to share with former parents,” Herrera said. “Parents are eager to vote and share on their social media platforms. My coworkers as well.
“My whole entire community is behind me, supporting me. Whatever the outcome, it’s an amazing feeling to be recognized.”
In addition to her regular teaching duties, Herrera also coaches cheerleading for third, fourth and fifth graders. She also works with the Positive Environment Club and is a member of the Parent Teacher Association, which she joined so she could advocate for parents who don’t speak English.
“I really love it here,” she said. “I call it my second home. If I could bring my dogs, I would be here all the time.”
Herrera came to Irvington after teaching second grade in Newark for three years because there was an opening for a bilingual teacher and she felt that was her calling.
She has since fallen in love with teaching kindergarten.
“I call it kinderland,” she said. “The kids and the love they give really drives me. The joy they bring, being around them makes my life brighter.”
Voting can be done at https://americasfavteacher.org
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