Powell Watson Presents Vehicles to UISD Teachers of the Year

Posted Date: 06/05/2023

Two lucky teachers from the United Independent School District are reaping the benefits of their hard work. Elementary Teacher of the Year, Gabriela Vazquez de Lara and Secondary of the Year Teacher, Joshua Llamas were each handed the keys to a brand new vehicle from Powell Watson Motors. Mrs. Vazquez de Lara has been a bilingual teacher at United ISD for 21 years teaching kindergarten, 1st and 5th grade students at Muller and Fasken Elementary. Mr. Llamas has been a teacher for 6 years at Lyndon B. Johnson teaching history and college government to students from 10th-12th grade. Both teachers underwent a vigorous selection process and were selected as the top educators among many other qualified applicants. Today both teachers visited the Powell Watson dealership with their families to pick up the keys to the vehicle of their choice. Mrs. Vazquez de Lara drove away in a convertible Mercedes-Benz C300 while Mr. Llamas took home a Toyota Tundra. Each teacher will have the opportunity to switch into a different vehicle every three months for a year. Both teachers were grateful to UISD and Powell Watson for being recognized for their hard work and given the opportunity to drive their dream car. 

“It's an incredible feeling of joy, fulfillment, and disbelief at the same time. It's like you want to make sure you are not dreaming. I want to thank Power Watson for this gesture, it feels like the community is giving us that validation, many times needed, to reassure us of the value of education for our future,” said Mrs. Vazquez de Lara

“It is an awesome feeling to know that the efforts and passion of teachers are recognized! I am grateful and deeply honored to have been recognized and would like to share this award with all teachers,” said Mr. Llamas.

United ISD and Powell Watson Motors have been in partnership for the last 8 years collaborating in different projects like the Partners for Scholars program, which benefits students with scholarships and Teacher of the Year program. This marks the 7th year that Powell Watson rewards our teachers of the year with a one-year leased vehicle of their choice. This is a small token of appreciation for the teachers that work relentlessly throughout the year making sure that their students have the best learning environment in order to succeed. All it takes is a passionate and understanding teacher to make a difference in a student’s life. Congratulations again to our Teachers of the Year!