Two Texas teachers were honored at the annual Baylor School of Education Senior Recognition Banquet on April 21. Every year, Baylor SOE honors memorable teachers who were nominated by Baylor School of Education seniors. Students submit essays to support their nomination, and educators are chosen by a Baylor faculty committee.

Those honored this year were Samantha Herrington of Huntsville and Susana Milhoan of Wylie.

SAMANTHA HERRINGTON

Samantha Herrington was nominated by SOE senior and middle grade mathematics major Brittany Rollins. Herrington graduated from Sam Houston State University and has been teaching in Huntsville ISD for more than 28 years. For 20 of those years, she has served as a history teacher at Huntsville High School.

Teaching has dramatically affected Herrington’s life as she met her now-husband, Jack, and her adopted son, Eli, through teaching. Since then, Jack and Samantha have had two daughters — Deana, who has been a teacher for seven years, and Madison, who is still in high school.

Rollins first heard about Mrs. Herrington from former students who talked highly of her. It wasn’t until her sophomore year when Rollins had Herrington for history class that she had found a friend and mentor. “She was the type of teacher that everyone knew about coming into high school, because she was talked of so highly by so many of her current and former students,” Rollins said.

Rollins said she would not be graduating with her teaching degree this May if Herrington had not inspired her throughout her high school career. “She has shown me and taught me that there is so much more to teaching than making sure students are learning the required material,” Rollins said. “She has proven that relationships can strengthen what you are trying to teach in the classroom.”

In her essay, which was presented at the banquet, Rollins recounted times throughout high school and college that Herrington was cheering her on. “She took the time and invested in our lives,” Rollins said.

As a soon-to-be teacher, Rollins believes Herrington is a teacher to be celebrated for inspiring her students. “She cared so much for each and every student she had. Still to this day she is involved in my life,” Rollins said. “She will always be a very special person in my life and definitely the most memorable teacher I ever had.”

Herrington is a member of Covenant Fellowship and credits her faith for her vocation in life. “Working with students, such as Brittany Rollins, is the most fulfilling work,” Herrington said. “I thank God for allowing me to live a life of service through education and classroom teaching. Seeing my students grow and graduate and find their place in the world is such a blessing!”

SUSANA MILHOAN

Susana Milhoan was nominated by SOE senior Erica Amos, a secondary mathematics major.

Milhoan graduated from the University of Utah and taught at Indian Hills High School for three years. When coming to visit her husband, Derrel, who was training as a nurse in Texas, she too fell in love with Texas, and the couple moved to Wylie, making it their home. She has served as a mathematics teacher at Wylie High School for more than 16 years. Amos said that Milhoan exemplifies godly work in all she does. Milhoan attends Wylie’s Church of Latter Day Saints.

At the banquet Amos presented her essay on Milhoan, noting how much of a difference Milhoan has made in her life. “A Christ-like love for her students sets Mrs. Milhoan apart,” Amos said. “She has influenced not only my life, but all the lives she comes in contact with.”

Serving as Amos’ AP calculus teacher in high school, Milhoan has inspired Amos to teach and serve her own students in the same way. “Every day, we would start the class with three good things. This taught us the important of celebrating one another in our strengths,” Amos said. “As a class, we loved this time of day and were excited to share the good things going on in our lives.”

Amos spoke of Milhoan’s service to her students inside and outside the classroom. “All teachers care, but Mrs. Milhoan had a way of showing us just how much she cared,” Amos said. “Never have I encountered a teacher that made us feel so incredibly valued as students, but also taught us the importance of valuing one another.”

“I love to see how my sophomores learn to work hard and get successful in math,” Milhoan said of teaching at Wylie High. “I do learn from them every year.”

Milhoan and her husband, Derrel, have two children — their daughter, Neysa, and son, Charlie — and six grandchildren.

—By Kate McGuire

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