Education Minnesota announced 31 semifinalists for the 2025 Minnesota Teacher of the Year award, with two St. Cloud State University alumni making it on the narrowed down list.
Huskies Travis Koupal ’03 and Kong Vang ’21 advanced to the round of semifinalists.
Koupal, who graduated from SCSU with a bachelor’s degree in music education, is a science teacher at Justice Page Middle School within the Minneapolis Public Schools district. Vang graduated from SCSU with bachelor’s degree in psychology and teaches critical ethnic studies and CIS exploring the teaching profession at Washington Technology Magnet School within the St. Paul Public Schools district.
An independent selection panel of 21 community leaders chose the semifinalists from an initial field of 142 candidates from across the state.
The panel was set to review the semifinalists’ portfolios again, along with semifinalist video submissions, in mid-March. The panel will select about 10 finalists from among the group. The current Minnesota Teacher of the Year, Tracy Byrd, will announce his successor at the Minnesota Teacher of the Year banquet scheduled for May 4 at St. Paul RiverCentre.
Education Minnesota, the statewide educators union, organizes and underwrites the Teacher of the Year program. Candidates include pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, early childhood family education and adult basic education teachers from public or private schools.
