Nichi Renea Avina

Nichi Renea Avina is a middle school science teacher at Cielo Vista Charter School in the Palm Springs Unified School District, Riverside County.

Nichi starts off the year by burning dollar bills in her science lab. She dips the bill in clear liquid and lights it on fire, while reassuring her students that it is all in the name of science. But when the bill burns for a minute and then is left unscathed, the causes and conditions of the exploration begin. Her students begin to channel their inner scientist as they grapple with their observations and try to answer questions that they themselves have generated, all while creating models, designing investigations, collecting evidence, and making claims based on the scientific data. In Nichi’s class, science is hands-on and student engagement is enthusiastic, as they begin to learn about life’s greatest mysteries.

As a first-generation immigrant, Nichi understands the lived experiences of many of her students, which drives her to bring transformative programs to her underserved youth. One of these programs, EcoRise, a school-based program that empowers youth to tackle real-world environmental challenges in their communities, does just that. As an EcoRise Teacher-Ambassador, she knows that she is fostering sustainable global citizens by training educators throughout the United States.

Nichi proudly shares that her own “Eco-Heroes” wrote grants through the EcoRise program. Three of her student grant-writing teams received an award. “I will always remember the pride in their faces when I announced the wonderful news in class, congratulating them on being change-makers.” She further explains, “To me, academic success is ultimately made when all students leave my class scientifically literate, empowered, and ready to enact their mission in this world.”

Quote: “Inventors, scientists, engineers, and Eco-Heroes—these are the names I call my students. I empower them with these roles because it allows them to step into their future-selves and gives them hope.”