Graduation

Students in graduation caps

2025 School of Education Graduation Recognition Ceremony & Reception

Save the date: Thursday, May 8, 2025 from 7:30 - 10 p.m. Macky Auditorium
Stay tuned for more details. 

The School of Education Graduation Recognition Ceremony is held each spring for summer, fall, and eligible spring graduates of our bachelor's, teachers licensure, minor, certificate, master's, and doctoral programs, as well as our community scholars from programs housed in the School of Education. Summer graduates are invited to participate in our ceremony the semester prior to or immediately following graduation from 񱦵.

2024 School of Education Graduation Recognition Ceremony & Reception

  • Thursday, May 9, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. at Macky Auditorium 

Thank you for attending the 2024 School of Education Graduatio Recognition Ceremony! Photos will be posted when they are ready on this page.

  Meet our Outstanding Graduates 

  2024 School of Education Graduation Program 

 

Meet our 2024 Outstanding Graduates

The School of Education has a long-standing tradition of honoring some of our most exemplary students in the graduating class as outstanding graduates. Nominated and selected by the faculty, each graduate receives special recognition. Meet them here. 


 

As a proud bilingual teacher in her school, Silvia Ortiz exemplifies excellence in teaching, leadership and advocacy for bilingual learners at her school and in her small rural district. Ortiz is a passionate advocate for her mostly Latinx bilingual students as an English Language Development Teacher at Hudson Elementary School in Weld RE-3 School District. 

Always with an open mind, 񱦵 graduate Samantha Lane dives into new opportunities and challenges in her life however unexpected they may be. Lane decided to major in Leadership and Community Engagement as she was interested in the community-based, hands-on experiences that the major offered, as well as making a difference in educational spaces. 

Growing up with numerous teachers in her family, Taylor Renquist always knew she wanted to attend 񱦵 and become a teacher to make an impact on students. After double majoring in Spanish and Mathematics at 񱦵, she came back for a one-year intensive in the MA+ Mathematics Teacher Licensure program. 

Born and raised in Aurora, Colorado, Hasan Elsayed had a love of math and science from an early age. Now as a math and science teacher, he gets to live his dream of empowering students to pursue their aspirations and achieve success.

From her earliest memories, Emma Hoeschler knew she wanted to be a teacher. “I've always been passionate about working with children, but it took me quite a while to decide what type of teacher I wanted to be,” she said. Hoeschler's teaching focus only began to manifest itself after a pivotal U.S. government class in her senior year provided her with a firsthand experience of the connection that can exist between classroom content and her personal life.

Throughout her academic journey at the 񱦵 School of Education, Bethany Morton has demonstrated an unwavering dedication to creating inclusive and supportive learning environments for her students, particularly children from marginalized backgrounds.

Yazmine Lynette Patiño is passionate about supporting first-generation college students as one herself.

“I’m the first in my family to receive a bachelor's and now a master's degree, both of which I could not have accomplished without the unwavering support of my family” she said. “Graduating from 񱦵 represents sacrifice, growth, and possibilities for myself and for my family.”

With her own unique understanding of being a first-generation student herself, Norma Marquez is a staunch advocate for the many benefits that post-secondary education can provide. Drawing upon her roots as a second-generation American growing up in rural Texas, Marquez recalls the sacrifices, obstacles and challenges her parents and family have faced in trying to make a better life for themselves in the United States. 

After working for the 񱦵 Office of Information Technology for six years, Marcus Williams decided to switch careers and enroll in the one-year intensive MA+ Secondary Humanities Teacher Licensure program to become a teacher. 

As an accomplished teacher, emerging educational historian and rigorous scholar, PhD graduate Derek LeFebre demonstrates exemplary passion and commitment to his work. 

A Colorado native, LeFebre taught in Greeley for over 10 years before starting his doctoral studies. He chose to pursue his PhD to work with Professor Rubén Donato, as LeFebre was familiar with Donato’s education historian research into the experiences of Mexican Americans in Colorado. Instead of Colorado, his research, however, focuses on northern New Mexico, where he and his family have deep roots.

A veteran educator with nearly a decade of experience practicing as an elementary school teacher and administrator in New York City, Elizabeth Tetu is well acquainted with the common themes that affect teachers in their first years of teaching. 

“Feelings of overwhelm and failure, a sense of having been inadequately prepared, and a reported lack of support to navigate these experiences,” said Tetu. 

Jessica Valadez Fraire will soon graduate with an Elementary Education degree from the 񱦵, but she didn’t set out to be an elementary teacher. 

Her early schooling experiences were “isolating and difficult” as a Brown, bilingual student growing up in largely white, affluent Boulder. 

"(The Elementary Education major) is the perfect path for me, because I think it's super important for students to have teachers who look like them, who speak their language, and who care about their development as people. That's how I see education — a tool for students to negotiate their world and create a better world.”

When Abigail Goldberg graduated with her undergraduate degree in anthropology, she was set to pursue a career in death investigating. An unexpected job during the COVID-19 pandemic, however, changed her whole career course and launched her into teaching.

Outstanding Community Engagement & Public Scholarship Award Julia Daniel, PhD

More graduates features

Whether she's leading a group of middle school students through a process to identify the root causes of problems in their community, or taking a group of Latinx high schoolers around the 񱦵 campus, there is a strong magnetism around Fernanda Cerros. A recent graduate in double majors of International Affairs and Political Science, Cerros is fired up for her next chapter thanks to the inspiring experiences that fell outside of her major coursework — in CU Engage. 

Graduating senior Rain Michael has always considered themself a musician but didn’t feel they could take on the title of “leader” until they took the course LEAD 1000: Becoming A Leader. “I wouldn’t have necessarily called myself a leader in the same way I do now, if I hadn’t taken that course,” they stated. “I decided to take that course and it ended up being something that was very interesting and valuable. Especially the way Dr. Pasquesi taught the course, just clicked with me in a way that I frankly found surprising.” 

Being a first-generation college student means discovering new things and pushing past limits. In their time at the 񱦵, Nicolas Tamayo went above and beyond those expectations and didn’t let fear hold them back. Tamayo is also a Multicultural Leadership Scholar in the School of Education.

As he prepares to graduate, Tamayo will go on their greatest adventure yet: They were accepted to the highly competitive Fulbright U.S. Student Program, and will be teaching English in Montpellier, France.

Congratulations to Learning Assistant Program students Rain Michael, Ben O'Meara and Emily Peden for being selected as Student Leaders of the Year! This program by the Center for Leadership highlights the impact of leadership education at 񱦵. 

Celebrate