Congratulations to Dr Tabitha Lim! The International Listening Association’s official 2026 Awards page confirms that she has won the Carolyn Coakley-Hickerson Award.
The ILA recognises Dr Lim for her work as Principal and Director of Curriculum and Instruction at TLS International School in Malaysia.
The award citation highlights her distinctive approach to educational leadership:
Listening to students, teachers and families as an essential part of school leadership.
Valuing students as whole individuals, rather than managing them from a distance.
Putting listening theory into daily practice in the running of a school.
What makes this recognition particularly meaningful is that it connects listening with the actual practice of educational leadership. It recognises not simply the ability to communicate, but the commitment to hearing and valuing the people within a school community.
For TLS International School, this is a significant international recognition of Dr Lim’s educational leadership and student-centred philosophy.
Won an award under the International Listening Association
https://www.listen.org/2026-awards
Tabitha Lim is recognized for demonstrating that educational leadership begins with listening — to students, teachers, families, and the wider school community. As Principal and Director of Curriculum and Instruction at TLS International School in Malaysia, she has built a model of school leadership centered on knowing and valuing students as whole individuals rather than managing them from a distance. Her own experience in an educational environment where student voice wasn’t always prioritized shaped a career-long commitment to building something different. The award recognizes how directly she has translated listening theory into the daily practice of running a school.
