Three Guam Department of Education teachers have been named state finalists for the nation’s highest honor in K-12 STEM teaching: the 2025 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Representing the island are Colette Beausoliel of John F. Kennedy High, Elaine Cortez of Simon Sanchez High, and Mark Villaverde of Vicente S.A. Benavente Middle School. We begin our series with Villaverde, who reflects on how this recognition brings his journey as an educator full circle.

Mark Villaverde has been teaching for 12 years—spending the last four at Benavente Middle, where he teaches ESL and mathematics. But these halls hold a deeper meaning for him. They’re the very same ones he walked as a student, where his own dream of becoming a teacher first began.  “Mrs. Pascua was my math teacher, and I would say I was the kind of student who kind of took things for granted a little bit. But, when Mrs. Pascua showed me how much she cared for me and how much she really cared about my education, and how I was going to grow up to and who I’d become–I wanted to do the same for others as well, even if it was just one student," he said.

And now, Villaverde is doing just that—and so much more—by inspiring countless students to be the best they can be.  He told KUAM News, “It’s amazing to see a lot of my students excelling that way. It feels so good to give back in that sense to see all of these kids grow–because that’s all they are is potential—and I’m just there to help them reach their potential.”

That passion and dedication have led Villaverde to become one of three Guam Department of Education STEM teachers named as finalists. This is his second nomination, the first coming while he was teaching at John F. Kennedy High School—his alma mater—where he also spent eight years in the classroom.

“For me, it’s really a culmination of all of the efforts of all of the teachers that have affected my life," he said.

Teachers like Mrs. Pascua helping shape his outlook on mathematics—a subject he works hard to make fun, interactive, and approachable for his students. “How I see math—and I see math as such a fun and interesting subject. For me, I’ve always loved numbers–but I’ve always loved to see how numbers can be applied in real life," he said.

“A lot of students say math is hard–because that’s all they hear–but, the way that I approach it in my class is–okay, we’ll try to make it fun, make it as simple for you and anyone to understand.”

“I like trying to make it really fun and interactive for them. I use a lot of manipulatives–meaning, I give them a lot of blocks, counters, I give them the number line–I give them a lot of things because I actually want them to see what the numbers look like, what they’re actually doing. I really want to make it fun and concrete for them. I understand it’s challenging, and I tell them that it is challenging, that they do have to put effort into it, but it shouldn’t be something too daunting.”

One of his most rewarding moments coming when a former ESL student reached back out with gratitude.

“Their struggle in school is to try to integrate going into our classes in our school system. One of the recent successes I had was with a Filipino student–she was fresh from the Philippines and she was scared and a little hesitant in doing well in her classes because she didn’t know what to expect but with all the things I tried to do to help her, by the time she became a freshman at JFK, she messaged us back, thanking all of her ESL teachers, and she kind of noted me in particular, because I guess she was really afraid of how freshman math was going to be," he said.

For villaverde, it’s a reminder of why he teaches—not for recognition, not for praise, but for the chance to make a difference. “Teaching is not easy—I really believe it takes a special person to be a teacher–and for me, to just be a teacher for this long, really is a testament to all of the people who I work with, and all the team, admin, and faculty—we’re all working hard here," he said.

And as a finalist, Villaverde shares a message of encouragement with his fellow nominees—one a former classmate, the other his former teacher. “This is what we expect. We expect that we all do the best we can–whether we get recognized or not, we just do the best that we can for our students. And what I want to say to them is good luck because they really deserve all the praise they're getting, and that they were all part of my journey as well. So, I really just wish them the best and that we continue to do what we do here," he said.

Villaverde also gave a special shoutout to his wife, Merlyn Villaverde, who teaches at Juan M. Guerrero Elementary.