At Infinity Early College High School, Camila Maia is known as a compassionate educator who makes her students feel seen and valued. Her engaging and innovative lessons make her an asset on the IECHS campus, while her kindness and warm spirit show her genuine love for teaching and care for her students.
Secondary Teacher of the Year, Camila Maia
This is Ms. Maia’s fifth year at Infinity Early College High School, where she teaches dual credit government, economics, and intervention math lab. Ms. Maia is an IECHS alumna, graduating with her high school diploma and associate’s degree before completing her bachelor’s degree at Texas A&M University. She began teaching at IECHS in 2020, and has since earned her master’s degree in political science from Sam Houston State University. Along with teaching, Ms. Maia also leads the Interact Club and is the IECHS alumni relations coordinator.
As a graduate of IECHS, Ms. Maia is able to form a unique connection to students because she understands what it takes to be successful at an early college high school. Her favorite part of IECHS is the advisory class. In the advisory class, freshman students are assigned a group and a teacher. Students meet with the same group each year, allowing students to form deep connections with both their peers and teacher.
“I love being able to connect with students and help them grow to become the best people they can possibly be,” Maia said. “Being able to bond with the kids and see the amazing things they grow to do is by far my favorite part of teaching.”
As the alumni relations coordinator, she continues to connect with IECHS after graduation through alumni events.
“Since I work to coordinate alumni relations on my campus, I get to interact with my former students, and that is so rewarding to not only see the impact of the work I have done, but also to hear them talk about it,” Maia said.
Teachers of the Year, Catalina Diaz and Camila Maia, pose with Superintendent Matt Calvert.
According to IECHS Principal Erica Sykes, Ms. Maia’s kindness and dedication to her students make her an exemplary educator.
“Ms. Maia is a caring and compassionate educator,” Sykes said. “She believes in her students and helps them grow and flourish at IECHS. She sets high expectations but she does everything in her power to make sure her students know that she will support them every step of the way. She is a phenomenal educator and shining star on our campus.”
For Ms. Maia, winning Secondary Teacher of the Year as an NCISD and IECHS alumna was an incredible experience.
“It is such an honor, especially winning in my former school and district when my own former teachers were some of the ones that voted for me,” Maia said. “Infinity and NCISD are why I am teaching. I entered this profession because of the amazing experiences I had with my teachers here and know first-hand the impact we can have. I am incredibly proud to work alongside the wonderful teachers that made me who I am today and to be able to help kids that are just like me.”