Tawana Akins has been honored for her academic, social and community efforts since she was in elementary school, growing up just outside Liberty City in Miami.
As she broke down barriers, Akins dedicated much of her life to education, earning four college degrees and, in turn, teaching others for 19 years. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida Memorial University and degrees in Curriculum and Instruction, ESOL Endorsement and Educational Leadership from Barry University.
Currently an assistant principal at Miami Southridge Senior High School and formerly dean of students at Horace Mann Middle School and an adjunct professor at Florida Memorial, Akins mentors new teachers and, among other accolades, was the 2016 Education Transformation Office Region Teacher of the Year. Outside the classroom, Akins works to make Miami-Dade a safer place, especially for children who live in poverty like she once did. The social justice activist is the founder of “A Better Me” and “Community Collaboration Exchange,” organizations that work to assist youth and improve communities, as well as “Pretty Girlz Rock Dance Company,” where she teaches and mentors girls ages 4 to 17.
Akins is the author of three books, a mother and a “glammy” (grandmother) to Milani Mattea.