Thiago Aleixo is a Mercer graduate, a soccer enthusiast, and a second and third grade special education teacher at Macon's Elam Alexander Elementary.
Now, he's also Bibb County's Teacher of the Year.
Aleixo accepted the award Monday in front of 400 of his peers as well as parents and community members.
And Wednesday, before heading into the classroom, Thiago Aleixo stopped by the studio to talk to 13WMAZ's Stephanie Susskind about what inspired him to teach and how he inspires his students.