2022 National ToY Represents AFA at SPACE Educator Conference

July 20, 2023

As selections are in progress to determine the 2023 AFA/Rolls-Royce National Teacher of the Year, the 2022 National ToY, Nancy “P-Q” Parra-Quinlan participated in her final ambassadorship event in June. She represented AFA at Florida’s Space Port Area Conference for Educators (SPACE), a nationwide educator conference sponsored by the Astronaut Memorial Foundation.

Nancy invited other AFA chapter, state, and national ToYs to join her session in which she presented details about AFA’s many educator opportunities, such as the ToY program. She also allowed other state and national TOYs to speak about their experiences. Nancy excited the teachers in the audience about the benefits of aligning with AFA chapters via the ToY program and shared information about the educator grant program, as well as AFA’s STEM competitions, CyberPatriot and StellarXplorers.

TOY
Gathered in a group photo outside the Astronaut Hall of Fame during the conference were (from left): Melissa Pore, ’23 VA State TOY; Kaci Heins, ’14 National TOY; Ashley Blackstone-Smith, ’21 2nd place National TOY, MI; Nancy Parra-Quinlan; Melissa Pfaff, ’23 CO State TOY; Bill McInnish, ’23 FL State TOY; and Susan Mallett, ’92 & ’93 2nd place National TOY, AL.