Miriam Cabrera was selected as the Teacher of the Year at the 2019 ACE Conference Awards Luncheon. Ms. Cabrera is a rockstar teacher that has continued to engage and motivate her students to become a better version of themselves. She infuses her lessons with important life lessons that carry on beyond the student’s life in school. She takes extra time and effort to ensure that her lessons address the needs of her students. She maintains a high level of performance in the district when it comes to LCP’s. She also shares her knowledge and experience so that other teachers and students may benefit. She also serves as an instructional leader for the program who ensures teachers, students, and staff get the leadership and support they need. In all the years that Miriam has been teaching, her students have improved significantly their English skills. Miriam has the ability to identify the students’ strengths and abilities to encourage learning, helping them to become successful in American society. Students consider her a knowledgeable and experienced teacher that understands their difficulties in learning English, and they admire the way she addresses their needs and weaknesses. Miriam uses different methods of teaching and multimedia material, to make sure everybody comprehends the material given, and she also promotes the development of critical thinking, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. Miriam is helpful, resourceful and she is always eager to offer her enthusiasm and expertise to help fellow teachers perform better. Her leadership and willingness to work diligently are contagious, and they have contributed to the advancement and benefit of the program. Miriam is analytical, always looking for ways to achieve her goals and she is an inspiration to think out-of-the-box. On many occasions she has facilitated presentations that have always been characterized for being dynamic, effective and innovative. Miriam has been recognized by administrators and teachers as one of the best teachers of the CARIBE program. Miriam has participated actively in several professional development activities, working with fellow teachers from Hillsborough County and interacting with educators from other states in order to learn and share new teaching styles, techniques and tips to improve student achievement. Some of the Professional Development workshops that she has participated in are: Building Capacity for Florida ABE to GED Prep Program, Ventures and Step Forward Implementation Trainings, Literacy Strategies for Adult Learners, Adult Education Professional Study Day Spring Board, Designing Contextualized Instruction, Strengthening Mathematics Foundation, The English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education, and many others. She also holds two Masters Degrees, one in Curriculum and Instruction, and the other one in Educational Leadership.