MS Teacher Featured as Mazda Hero

 Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today unveiled the initial winners of its ‘Mazda Heroes: Honoring The Human Spirit’ program (Mazda Heroes). The remainder of the winners are set to be announced throughout the month of December and honored with a special ceremony in their local community.

The initiative was created by Mazda to shine a light on individuals across the country who have tirelessly dedicated themselves to their communities throughout 2020 and acknowledge the impact their efforts have made on those around them. After receiving powerfully inspiring nominations from across the nation between Oct. 5 – 25, MNAO selected 50 winners based on their demonstrated selfless acts, creative thinking, and contributions to community. Considering the brand’s deeply held value of omotenashi — the Japanese culture of putting other’s needs first — each hero will be honored with a special part of Mazda’s history, a Mazda MX-5 Miata 100th Anniversary Special Edition. 

“This year has been full of challenges and we wanted to lean into our brand’s heritage of finding innovative ways to brighten people’s lives,” MNAO President Jeff Guyton said. “We were inspired to create the Mazda Heroes program to honor all those who are working tirelessly to uplift their own communities. We hope through Mazda’s acknowledgment of their efforts, they’ll feel empowered to continue to give back to those around them.” 

During the submission phase in October, Mazda heard countless stories of people putting others first and the positive impact of their work in local communities. The selected Mazda Heroes recipients selflessly leveraged personal skills and resources to care for those in need. These “heroes” ranged from young adults creating free grocery delivery services for those at high-risk of contracting the virus, to community members partnering with local restaurants to provide free meals to healthcare workers, to musicians creating curbside concerts for the senior community that who had to remain indoors.

This first round of Mazda Heroes includes a Mississippi teacher, Triana Davis. 

Triana Davis, Teacher – Byram, Miss.

Remote learning has been a challenge for families across the nation, but for some, lack of home computers and internet access have made it especially challenging. At the height of the pandemic, Triana created and personally delivered custom curriculum to her students facing this situation to keep them engaged. Desiring to encourage her students when they missed out on the traditions of graduation, Triana also created special commemorative t-shirts, goodie bags, and custom-engraved medals. Nominated by her wife. 

Read Davis’ article here.