I have some wonderful news to share about Louiseda Sumé, one of MCLC’s beloved teachers—and a former Matènwa student herself.
Earlier this year, Louiseda 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 have been prouder.
And there is even more to celebrate: Louiseda has been named Teacher of the Year for Haiti’s Ouest Department, the region that includes both Lagonav and Port-au-Prince.
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 simply 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 national prize, but being named one of Haiti’s 10 national finalists out of more than 2,000 nominated teachers—and Teacher of the Year for the entire Ouest Department—is an extraordinary honor.
Recently, I had the joy of being with Louiseda at the award ceremony celebrating her achievement. We are so proud of you, Louiseda—and so proud of all the remarkable teachers who make Matènwa what it is.
