Kirsten Salonga

Kirsten Salonga

Fellowship Placement: Library of Congress
Hometown: Alexandria, VA

Kirsten Salonga has spent the past nine years of her career dedicated to accessibility and rigor in STEM education. All of her students are Multilingual Learners (ML), and she has taught Environmental Science and Biology at Justice High School, as well as Fairfax County Adult High School. For three years, she has served as the Science Department Chair for her team of 26 science teachers at Justice High School. As a 2019-2020 Fulbright Alumni, she taught English at  Universidad Nacional in Bogotá, Colombia, enhancing her skills to create activities that are more accessible and culturally responsive.

Beyond her high school duties, Kirsten has worked as a Multilingual Learner Toolkit Developer for the Virginia Department of Education and as an Content Developer and Praxis Facilitator for the Virginia Education Association. Her experience spans curriculum development for youth and adult Multilingual Learners, designing field trip materials for the National Park Service, and serving as a Teacher Researcher with Michigan State University. Currently, she serves as the High School Division Director for the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and as the Science for All Chair for the Virginia Association of Science Teachers.

In 2025, Kirsten was named Virginia's Outstanding Biology Teacher by the National Association of Biology Teachers and selected as a Finalist for the Presidential Award in Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Her honors also include the ISTE+ASCD "20 to Watch" Award, the AFS-USA Global Educator of the Year Award, induction into the University of Tennessee Educator Hall of Honor, and selection as a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow with National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions.