Engineering 102 High School instructor wins Teacher of the Year
The Arizona Athletics award recognizes excellence and leadership in education.
Justin Villard, standing with Arizona Athletics' Meagan O'Leary and U of A cheerleaders, is recognized at an Arizona Men’s Basketball game on March 4.
Justin Villard poses with Wilbur and Wilma Wildcat at the Teacher of the Year award ceremony.
University of Arizona Athletics selected high school instructor Justin Villard as the 2025 Teacher of the Year. The engineering teacher from Andrada Polytechnic High School in the Vail School District accepted the award on Feb. 28.
Villard is part of the College of Engineering’s Engineering 102 High School initiative, which gives students in 35 participating Arizona and California schools a head start on their first year as engineering majors. The students earn U of A credit while learning about engineering from teachers who have been trained by the college.
“The program has given my students and me access to so many resources,” said Villard.
Students benefit from visiting campus and hearing from guest speakers, he said. And Villard learns a great deal from the summer workshops the program’s teachers attend.
“The chance to work with and learn from so many great educators is invaluable.”
KGUN9 News recently featured Villard, visiting his classroom on a day when students built part of a bridge and tested how much weight it could hold. Villard’s classes are typically project-based. Curriculum includes building toys using 3D printers and laser cutters and programming stair-climbing robots and underwater remotely operated vehicles.
“I get to witness the amazing things that happen when creativity, ingenuity and hard work come together,” he said.
Villard is grateful to win the award and credits his students for hard work and impressive achievements.
“It is my students that make me look good, far more than anything I do.”
Justin Villard works with engineering students at Andrada Polytechnic High School.
