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Houston science magician named a People magazine Teacher of the Year

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People TV
KIPP 3D Academy teacher Arwen Imai Matthews was recognized by People as Teacherof the Year.
Photo by Whitney Radley
Matthews, who earned one of five spots in the inaugural contest, has been calleda "science magician" by her principal.
Photo by Whitney Radley

People says that its offices were flooded with applications following an open call for the magazine's first ever Teacher of the Year nominations. Among them was one for Arwen Imai Matthews, who teaches introductory physics and chemistry to eighth graders at KIPP 3D Academy Middle School in Houston.

And it's not hard to see why she was selected as one of five educators for Teacher of the Year.

The 31-year-old Teach for America alumna is tireless in her pursuits, running the robotics club, founding the science fair, heading up the school's science department, writing grant applications for additional funding, playing Dungeons & Dragons with other science teachers and engineers, carrying her first child and teaching her classes — all while serving as a role model and mentor for past and current female students.

"I want to leave the world a better place than I found it," Matthews told People.

"She's often on the phone giving advice," principal Alison Cumbley explained to People. "Arwen takes her bond with students very seriously. Those bonds aren't cut when the school year is over."

Cumbley described Matthews as a "science magician," crediting the teacher for sparking a love for the subject in her students (the startling majority of whom are low-income) and with improving the tenor of the department as a whole.

"I want to leave the world a better place than I found it," Matthews told People of her inspiration for becoming a teacher. "When I'm gone, I hope there's some part of me still existing that reflects what I've done."

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Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”