Kester is a social studies teacher at Potosi High School. He graduated from Southeast in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science in social studies education and later received a Master of Arts in history with an emphasis on teaching. Kester grew up in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

“I chose SEMO because it was an inexpensive option, it was close, and it had a great faculty in the history and education departments,” Kester said. “I enjoyed my experiences at SEMO greatly, and I have to say they were extraordinarily helpful in assisting me in finding a position to start my career.”

Since 1995, Kester has been teaching high school social studies at Potosi High School.

“My favorite part of teaching in Missouri is the ability to spend time with young people and help them learn and watch them grow,” Kester said. “Over the years, I have learned that teaching is not about lessons, data, grades, objectives, or curriculum benchmarks. Teaching is about unique individuals.”

Kester received the 2023 VFW Missouri High School Teacher of the Year recognition in 2023, along with the Missouri State Society Daughters of the American Revolution (MSSDAR) Outstanding Teacher of American History recognition in the same year.

“Students aren’t data points,” Kester said. “Standardized test scores are not always reflections of what was taught; they are sometimes the reflection of what a young person had to overcome and still succeed. That is what I have learned in almost three decades of teaching public school in rural Missouri." 

Kester will serve as Missouri’s representative in the National Teacher of the Year program. He will be honored during the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Teacher of the Year recognition event in Columbia, Missouri, on Monday, Oct. 16.

The Missouri Teacher of the Year program recognizes the efforts of effective teachers, working tirelessly to provide a high-quality education to their students.