Laura Londoño receives a phone call from Barbara Henry informing her of the award.

The Board of Trustees of the Barbara Henry Courage in Teaching Award is pleased to announce the 2025 recipient, Laura Londoño of the Joseph A. Browne Middle School in Chelsea, MA. The award presentation will take place at the school on Thursday June 5th, 2025. Barbara Henry, who had the courage to teach Ruby Bridges in New Orleans in 1960, will present the award. Barbara was the only teacher at The William Frantz Elementary School to show up to teach once the school was integrated. She taught Ruby Bridges in a classroom, in a one-on-one setting, for the 1960-61 school year.

Laura Londoño is a proud Colombian-American educator and advocate who immigrated to Boston at the age of five. A graduate of Boston Public Schools and Boston Arts Academy, Laura's own experiences navigating identity, mental health, and immigration deeply inform her teaching. After earning a full college scholarship at Emerson College, she began her career at Sociedad Latina, where she discovered a passion for empowering first-generation Latino students. Laura joined Teach For America and began teaching at Browne Middle School, where she is now finishing her fifth year. She pursued graduate studies at Boston University while teaching in the school’s dual-language program, where she courageously chose to teach in Spanish—reconnecting with her roots and modeling vulnerability for her students. Through classroom projects like student-published books and community celebrations, she creates spaces where students feel seen, valued, and empowered to lead.

Principal Katie Cook of the Browne Middle School noted, "Laura's dedication to her students, her developing and innovative approaches to dual-language instruction, and her commitment to family and community engagement make her an exemplary candidate for the Barbara Henry Award. She embodies the spirit of inclusive and transformative education, ensuring that every student feels valued, empowered, and equipped to thrive in a multilingual world."

Her former principal at Boston Arts Academy, Dr. Linda Nathan, praised Laura. "She has found her profession. She is a wonderful teacher. Much loved and admired by her students and it is clear she plays a pivotal role at her school helping others navigate to a new identity, at a dual language school! I couldn’t be more proud of all of Laura’s many accomplishments. She has earned them all."

The award presentation will take place on Thursday June 5th at 1PM at the Joseph A. Browne Middle School in Chelsea, MA. For more information please visit www.barbarahenryaward.org and email barbarahenryaward@gmail.com.