Chris Chien is the recipient of the 2023 Martha Aldridge Promise Award. Chris Chien is a Teacher Education Program candidate for the 2022-23 school year, working on his M.Ed. and Multiple Subject Teaching Credential.
Chien received his B.A. in Geography from UC Santa Barbara in 2017 and began a career in cartography upon graduation. After four years in the mapping industry, Chien shifted career directions to pursue his childhood ambitions of becoming a teacher. Prior to entering the program, he volunteered locally at Cleveland Elementary as a literacy tutor and at Paragon Academy as an assistant kids’ wrestling coach.
Martha Aldridge was a UCSB staff member from 1961 until her death in 1986. The Promise Award, established in her honor by her friends, family, and colleagues, is given to top credential candidates in the Teacher Education Program to assist with the transition to their first teaching position in elementary education.