In recognition of exceptional teaching and mentoring in family science, Sothy Eng, an associate professor in the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, was honored with the Ernest G. Osborne Award from the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR).
The award is given to only one educator in the U.S. every two years and celebrates a teacher’s commitment to student success, inside and outside the classroom.
Building trust
Eng’s approach to teaching comes from his innovative Critical, Empathetic and Mindful Relations framework. It helps students create practical tools to build stronger interpersonal connections and resilience. In turn, students use their own set of tools to bring empathy, mindfulness and intentionality to their relationships—whether parent and child, romantic partners or professional.
“Earlier in my career, I thought teaching meant being in full control of the class and directing what students learned,” Eng said. “But students have shown me that good teaching is about trust: trusting their experiences, their values and their motivation. It’s also about recognizing that each student carries challenges that we may not see. When I trust that reality, empathy comes more naturally, and it reminds me to be mindful before every interaction and reaction.”
“That realization is what led me to develop the Critical, Empathetic, and Mindful Relations (CEMR) framework. It guides my research, how I teach, how I relate to students, and how I try to live my own life,” said Eng.
Eng believes that by making an intentional investment in human connection, relationships become powerful “engines for healing, learning, and growth.” The model helps students identify and strengthen the often invisible relationships that shape human development.
Eng also earned second place in the NCFR’s Cognella Innovation in Teaching Award for Family Science in 2022. He is recognized for his distinguished service to families through teaching at all levels.
The Department of Family and Consumer Sciences is housed in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience.
