Outstanding Graduate

How can we do this together in a nicer, kinder and more loving way? This key question guided 2019 Outstanding PhD Graduate Paty Abril-Gonzalez through her doctorate dissertation at CU Boulder and still guides her now in her teaching and research as an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

As a former high school teacher and advocate for community empowerment, 2019 Outstanding MA Graduate Ben Erwin realized that he had a passion for the public policies that shape the educational field. “After my time in Mississippi in advocacy, I realized I wanted to pursue a career in education policy,” Erwin said. “My belief in education as a driver of social justice and opportunity continues to drive my passion for education.”

Kyle O’Keefe, 2019 CU Boulder School of Education Outstanding Elementary Education Graduate, believes that learning should be fun all the time. “Fun is a great equalizer in the classroom because it engages everyone in their learning,” O’Keefe said. “Even the most stubborn student can't resist joining in!”

When Maya Angelou wrote the poem “Still I Rise,” she was speaking from her experience and validating the experiences of those who came before and after her. Her voice and sentiments are alive and well in Esmeralda Castillo-Cobian’s classroom. ith Angelou’s words still resonating in her ears, Castillo-Cobian is set to graduate from the University of Colorado Boulder with a BA in ethnic studies and her secondary teacher licensure in English education from the School of Education.

It can be hard to see the distinctions between the many lives that Valeria Praga-Rodríguez lives as an educator, mother, advocate and learner. She is also setting a positive example for daughters, students and the countless educators she works with at Denver Public Schools.

To her dismay, Mónica González Ybarra faced resistance and questioning about her readiness for college when she was a high school student. Now, González Ybarra incorporates her experiences and Latinx youth voices into her community work and research.

Brenda Ortiz Torres has always wanted to change the world, and in finding her path to becoming a teacher, she believes she and her students can truly "be the change." Working with students is the reasons she is so hopeful for the future.

Known for his thoughtful insights and engaging lessons, Tyler LeCroy found his love for math and science when he started community college and then transferred to CU Boulder, soon driving a passion for education.

With steady dedication to her studies and to her 6-year-old son, Alita Smith shows strength in every endeavor of hers. After two decades in the hospitality industry, Smith took the leap to pursue her lifelong dream of being an educator.

As a teacher in El Paso, Texas, Adriana Alvarez saw pursuing a PhD as nearly impossible until one fateful day when a professor from the University of Texas at El Paso asked to visit and observe her classroom. The professor Rey Reyes, a CU Boulder graduate, was impressed, and he...