The successful nomination was made by Ms. Susan Mallett, Aerospace/STEM Education Outreach Coordinator for Civil Air Patrol and 1992 Crossfield Educator of the Year. In her nomination, Mallett said, “Megan is one of those unique treasures who never stops thinking of ways to help others understand, feel valued, and seek to accomplish great things. She is the epitome of a teacher who Scott Crossfield was speaking of when he looked for teachers 'who possessed those honorable attributes we expect from American teachers.'” In support of her nomination, Hillsboro, Virginia, Mayor Roger Vance shared, "As well as being at the forefront of building an award-winning STEM-based curriculum, Megan has infused aviation and aerospace education into a wide spectrum of the school’s teaching regime that enriches traditional subjects and creates an extraordinary level of awareness and knowledge among the young scholars. Megan has ensured that the themes of aerospace engineering are key components in the classroom, and she has demonstrated boundless creativity in activities and projects to encourage and enhance the teaching of aerospace.”

Tucker’s teaching career and accomplishments span almost 20 years in elementary and middle schools in Florida, California, and Virginia, and include the development of engaging science and space curricula and programs for her schools, students, and other educators, as well as for national organizations. Megan has been instrumental in building the curriculum at Hillsboro Charter Academy, where she has taught every kindergarten through fifth-grade student all aspects of STEAM, with an emphasis on aerospace, technology, and engineering. She has created a club called Girls in Gear (Guiding Engineering, Aerospace, and Robots) and implemented a plethora of special programs for the students as she collaborated with organizations such as NASA, CAP, AIAA, Project Lead the Way, Girls Who Code, SeaPerch (underwater robotics), the Space Foundation, and CASIS (The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space - the ISS National Lab). Notably, Megan creatively supported her school's pivot during the COVID-19 pandemic. She ensured the students in her entire school were provided rigorous and relevant STEAM instruction via weekly “Tucker Tuesday” online sessions that provided innovative lessons and engineering design challenges to students, making sure the tasks assigned could be accomplished with items readily found in every home (a design challenge in its own right!). When school slowly opened, she innovatively plotted the path toward continued hands-on learning and engagements.