Mai Bazzi’s motto is to make a difference, one child at a time. As a graduate student in the School of Education, Mai worked each day to perfect her skills, deepen her knowledge and, ultimately, provide stronger support to the children in her classroom at the Muslim American Youth Academy, where she works as a teacher.

“I will do whatever it takes to ensure that each child knows that s/he can succeed,” she says. “When a child walks out of my classroom feeling better about their accomplishments, however big or small it may be, I know that I have made a difference.”

A winner of numerous academic honors at UM-Dearborn, Mai is a primary math teacher who returned to school to learn how to teach literacy as well as diagnose, evaluate and plan instruction for struggling readers. One student advanced two grade levels in reading after working one-on-one work with Mai. 

“All too often, teachers are the silent heroes in our society,” says Martha Adler, associate professor, School of Education. “We need to recognize those that go above and beyond for our children. Mai is one of those teachers whom we should celebrate.”