Dayton Church Member Receives Educator Award

Story by Benia Jennings

The Ohio Department of Education recently presented Nathaniel Snow, a veteran educator and member of the Dayton (Ohio) church, with the 2021 Teachers of Ohio Representing Character and Heart (TORCH) award. TORCH celebrates teachers who model strong character and a heart for their students, colleagues and communities.

“I feel good about being recognized in this way, but I know it’s all God,” says Snow.

Snow works as a math teacher at the Withrow University High School within the Cincinnati Public School District, where he spends countless hours coaching and mentoring students. An advocate for recruiting and retaining more black males into the field of education, he also serves as a professional mentor to students at Miami University in Oxford. Additionally, he leads the Omega Psi Phi fraternity’s scholarship program for high school seniors.

Snow is currently pursuing his doctorate to expand his sphere of influence to promote more equitable practices in mathematics instruction: “My goal is to become a school district superintendent to make some real changes to impact African-American students.”

Snow’s advice to the African-American students he mentors is to persevere: “Press on, keep moving forward. ... Find something you’re passionate about and ‘work that.’”