–By Chrystian Tejedor for FIU News

FIU alumni swept all three major Miami-Dade County Public Schools awards this year.

During the Dade Association of School Administrators’ virtual recognition ceremony, alumni Rachel B. Autler MS ’95 was named principal of the year and Samuel J. Louis ’03, Ed.S. ‘13 was named assistant principal of the year.

Autler served as principal of Hialeah Gardens Elementary where she ensured inclusion efforts for students with special needs facilitated their relationships both inside and outside the classroom. She has since become the Miami-Dade Schools North Region administrative director.

At John A. Ferguson Senior High School, Louis is known to rewrite mainstream music with inspirational lyrics and perform them for students at pep rallies.

Earlier in the year, Teresa Murphy ’93, MS ’96 was named the district’s teacher of the year.

In 2020, alumna and doctoral student Vanessa Valle ’04, MS ’07, ‘19 was named teacher of the year and doctoral student Raphael Villalobos — Louis’ supervisor at Ferguson Senior High School, was named principal of the year.