Jay Huston (M.S.Ed., ’23) and Phoebe Patterson Darling (M.S.Ed., ’23) were awarded the 2023 National Association for Gifted Children Master’s Student Award
The National Association for Gifted Children (NACG) announced today that two graduates from the Johns Hopkins University M.S.Ed. program in gifted education were named winners of the 2023 NAGC Master’s Student Award. Jay Huston (M.S.Ed., ’23) from San Francisco, California, and Phoebe Patterson Darling (M.S.Ed., ’23) from Hamilton, Bermuda, will receive a plaque and check at the November NAGC convention in Orlando, Florida.
Phoebe Patterson Darling is the founder of Patterson Tutoring and a Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner with 20 years of experience in education. “Receiving an award from an organization that I admire so much is a tremendous honor. I look forward to continuing my work as an advocate for gifted students and to many future collaborations with the NAGC,” said Phoebe.
Jay Huston works as a science teacher and Head of High School at Stanbridge Academy in California. “I’m truly honored, and quite frankly blown away, by being given this award. It means a lot to me to have my vision corroborated in such a powerful way,” said Jay. “Just a couple of days ago, in fact, I gave my first professional development to the staff at Stanbridge about twice-exceptional learners. Because we are a special education school, I believe this is the perfect place to foster the gifts of those with multiple exceptionalities and have already started steering our school in that direction.”
The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all children have opportunities and support to reach their full potential. NAGC presents this award to those who have demonstrated excellence in at least four of the following areas: teaching, writing, advocacy, curriculum development, community service, conference presentations, mentoring/tutoring, publications, or providing teacher in-service or parent workshops.
“It is a great pleasure to announce these exceptional graduates as NAGC Master’s Student Award winners,” said Keri Guilbault, associate professor and coordinator of the graduate programs in gifted education at JHU. “Jay’s creativity shines through in all of his work, and his unique approach such as using improv comedy to teach twice-exceptional learners has been impressive to observe.” She continued, “Phoebe has a strong commitment to advocacy and equity. She recently published a thought-provoking article on giftedness and neurodiversity in the NAGC Parenting for High Potential magazine. We are proud of everything these two graduates have accomplished.”
“Under Dr. Guilbault’s leadership, our program has attracted some of the most talented and committed educators and parents from around the world,” said Jonathan Plucker, professor of education at JHU. “This recognition is a testament to Jay and Phoebe’s talent and effort. They are wonderful people who are each making a big difference in the world.”
About the JHU Gifted Education Program
The Johns Hopkins University offers an online graduate certificate and Master’s degree in gifted education and a focus area in twice exceptionalities. The program aims to empower educators, school leaders, parents, and advocates to close excellence gaps and nurture advanced learners from all backgrounds. For more information about our graduate programs visit us at https://education.jhu.edu/masters-programs/ms-in-education-gifted-education/.
