ATHERTON, Calif., Dec. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Sacred Heart Preparatory (SHP) Physics teacher Riaz Abdulla has been named a recipient of the 2025 University of Chicago (UChicago) Outstanding Educator Award, which honors exceptional teachers whose influence played a significant role in the lives of students. Abdulla was nominated by Arhaan Gupta-Rastogi (SHP ’25), now a first-year student majoring in Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago.
Each year, UChicago invites newly admitted students to reflect on the educators who shaped them. For Gupta-Rastogi, the choice was clear. He describes the two years he spent in Abdulla’s AP Physics classrooms as transformative and joyful.
“[Abdulla] made physics an enjoyable class, from his humor to the energy and enthusiasm he brought to the classroom. And his problem-solving methods are tools I still use in college today,” Gupta-Rastogi said.
When Abdulla first learned he’d been nominated, “my immediate reaction was, ‘Who, me?’ But then I sat with it and realized—what a gift it is to teach students like Arhaan. And what a blessing to know I played even a small part in their journey.”
Now in his sixth year at SHP and 29th year as an educator, Abdulla grounds his teaching philosophy in the Sacred Heart mission of educating the whole child. He strives to pair rigorous academics with deep personal connection, meeting students where they are—whether they are future engineers or humanities-leaning learners.
“I love the challenge of showing a student—especially one who doesn’t think they’re a ‘STEM kid’—that physics is something they can do,” he said. “I believe that every human being has a natural curiosity about the world around them. My role is to give that curiosity a setting in which it can truly thrive.”
Abdulla emphasizes that the award reflects not just his work, but the collaborative spirit of Sacred Heart Prep. “I feel like I’m receiving this on behalf of SHP,” he said. “This is such a special place to teach. Our students are a gift, and every one of my colleagues deserves recognition like this.”
ABOUT SACRED HEART SCHOOLS, ATHERTON
Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton (www.shschools.org) is an accredited preschool through twelfth grade school, founded in 1898, located on a 63-acre campus in Atherton, California. It serves 1,185 students and is a member of the International Network of Schools of the Sacred Heart.
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SOURCE Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton
