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Baljit Singh Gill
- Michael McKibbin Outstanding Educator of the Year Award
- Caruthers High School, Fresno County
- Mathematics
- Former software engineer and banking manager
His story
Baljit Singh Gill came to the United States from India as a young child and grew up in the Bay Area with a deep rooted commitment to his community. After a successful career as a software engineer and banking manager, Baljit decided to pursue teaching as a second career and earned his credential through National University, a Teacher Corps program. Baljit explains his career change as an opportunity "... to be able to do more and have a positive impact on the lives of young people."
Today, Gill teaches math at Caruthers High School, which serves 570 students, of whom one-third are English language learners and more than 80 percent receive free and reduced lunch. In the classroom, Gill uses his prior career to link math to real-world problem solving - connecting learning with the technical skills his students will need after graduation.
Gill also serves as a freshman advisor, track and basketball coach, Punjabi club advisor and as a member of the school's technology committee.