Amazon has selected local teacher Heather Sappington from Marshall School District from among hundreds of eligible teachers for the Amazon Future Engineer (AFE) Teacher Ambassador program cohort 2024-2025.

Lori Peel joined the inaugural AFE 2023-2024 cohort. Both teachers were selected as one of only 50 educators nationwide for the competitive two-year fellowship dedicated to helping promote computer science education and career exploration to students throughout the area.

The Amazon Future Engineer (AFE) initiative is a global philanthropic program focused on increasing equitable access to high-quality computer science education for children and young adults. The AFE cohort provides Sappington and Peel professional development opportunities to network with STEM educators nationwide to share best practices. As an Ambassador, these educators will help scale computer science equity in their local communities and serve as models for what can be done across the country.

The program offers free customized curricula and provides virtual resources like career tours that expose students to real-world technology jobs. Additionally, each year, Amazon Future Engineer awards hundreds of students with four-year college scholarships up to $40,000 and paid internships at Amazon.