Teacher Appreciation Day 2026 at American Institute

May 5, 2026, All locations – Each year, our nation honors teachers for Teacher Appreciation Day, and each year American Institute joins in the celebration to pay homage to our own instructors and educational teams. These are the people who deliver the career education each day to our students, providing important skills training and engaging hands-on lessons to prepare them to pursue entry-level allied healthcare and skilled trades careers.

This year was especially noteworthy for our Campus Director / Director of Education in our West Hartford, CT campus, Kim Colbert. She happened to be at a local hospital with a loved one, and in the recovery room she met up again with one of her students from the very first class she taught, more than 30 years earlier!

Kim shared, “In 1995, Nakia C. was an 18-year-old young lady in one of the first classes I ever taught at what was then called Fox Institute of Business, now American Institute. She had a two-year-old son and was determined to finish her program and become an MA. She helped me to grow as a teacher and practice patience and grace. After she graduated, the following year, I gave birth to my first son, Zach. When I took him to his first pediatrician appointment, I was nervous as a new mom. But then I saw Nakia behind the counter, and I handed my newborn to her to be weighed and measured and prepared for his exam. What a moment of pride. It humbled me. I trusted her completely and she did a great job. She was a medical assistant caring for my brand new baby.

“Every year since, I have told that story at orientation. My favorite thing about my job is seeing our graduates out in the field, practicing their professions. Seeing her again was a true, much-needed reminder of how what we do changes lives—she definitely changed mine, and I hope I helped change hers.

“Nakia is now a nurse at UConn Health. Her 2-year-old son grew up and became an auto mechanic, and now has a child of his own, Nakia’s grandson, who she proudly showed me picture of. She also has a second son who is an HVAC technician. Today was an amazing day and full-circle moment seeing her again after so many years!”

Our Toms River, NJ and Cherry Hill, NJ Campus President Tim Rodgers often says, “An educator affects eternity; you can never tell where their influence ends.” How true that is and what a wonderful example of it above!

On each campus, the education staff and faculty were treated to a moment of thanks, from messages of thanks by students written on paper apple cutouts to #AISwag items to sharing a meal, our #AIFamily took time out to honor them and appreciate their contributions to our growth each day.

Teacher Appreciation Day is more than just a day on a calendar— it’s a chance to recognize the people who show up every day with patience, encouragement, and a belief in their students, even on hard days. What makes great teachers unforgettable isn’t perfection. It’s consistency. It’s the willingness to keep showing up for students day after day.

To every teacher both in our #AIFamily and out:

Thank you for your patience.
Thank you for your dedication.
Thank you for believing in your students — and reminding them to believe in themselves.

Today, and every day, your impact matters. Happy Teacher Appreciation Day!