I have some wonderful news to share: Louiseda Sumé, one of MCLC’s beloved teachers, was selected as one of 10 finalists for Haiti’s 2026 National Teacher of the Year!
Think about that: more than 2,000 teachers were nominated from across Haiti, and Louiseda made it to the final 10. We couldn’t be prouder.
Louiseda knows Matènwa from the inside out. She was once a student here herself. Today, as a fourth-grade teacher, she gives her students what she received: love, respect, a voice, and the confidence to believe in themselves.
She teaches in Haitian Creole because, as she puts it, learning in their mother tongue “motivates the students; it allows the child to believe in themselves.” And she teaches without violence, using dialogue to show children that their voices matter.
What makes me especially happy is that Louiseda doesn’t see teaching as a job. She sees it as giving back: “As they taught me with love, I also teach the children with the same love.”
Louiseda didn’t take home the top prize, but we’re not disappointed. Being named one of Haiti’s 10 finalists out of 2,000 nominated teachers is an extraordinary honor. We are so proud of you, Louiseda!
