6M TikTok Views Later: Jefferson Parish Teacher Receives $25,000
“I’m hoping that people see it and they understand that people who teach, it comes from love,” said Sarah Watkins, the Jefferson Parish teacher and recipient of the $25,000 Milken Educator Award.
On Nov.4, Stella Worley Middle School held an assembly for what Watkins thought was a presentation about academic growth. However, Watkins was left speechless as she realized the assembly was actually to award her the $25,000 Milken Educator Award.
The video of Watkins receiving her award now has 6.7 million views on TikTok, the highest views of any of the award recipient videos on the Milken Educator Award TikTok page.
Photo from the Milken Educator Award TikTok (@milkenaward)
Jana Rausch, vice president of communications for The Milken Family Foundation, states that the videos are “another avenue for us to spread the good news and make sure people know about the importance of teachers around the world.”
Watkins said, “I hope that people who see the video, people who see educators, they recognize that we do this work because we love children. We’re trying to impact the future.”
The video has just under 5 thousand comments with positive messages like, “She deserved that! You can tell how humble she is (@kkay_hope, 2025).”
“The Milken Educator Network provides powerful professional development opportunities for Milken Educators to meet their professional and personal goals,” said Rausch.
Watkins shares that she is still processing the emotional high. Though she has no plans yet for the award, Watkins hopes to add to the capacity that’s already growing at Stella Worley while she has the spotlight.
Watkins wants to “continue to build student leaders.”
Offering advice for young educators, Watkins said, “I was 21 when I started, and you have all these things that are happening at one time. So, it becomes overwhelming, and when you learn how to juggle all these tasks and give yourself a little bit of grace, it becomes easier.”
“You’re not going to get it right the first time. You just have to keep practicing.”
