The College of Education recently hosted the 22nd annual Scholarship and Award dinner. This dinner is a unique event where students, alumni, faculty and friends come together to recognize the outstanding achievements of EduGators.
“Education-enhancing initiatives emanate from this college across all 67 school districts and the state of Florida,” Landry said. “We’re talking about a vast reach, a transformative reach across the state — this is the engine of education in the state of Florida.”
“Every one of you, whether you’re students, faculty, donors or alumni, is making this success happen,” Good said. “It would not happen without each and every one of you.”
It was a night full of recognition and celebration. Three stalwart champions were announced as recipients of the Dean’s Excellence Award for outstanding contributions to the college and the community. Larry Kubiak, Allen and Delores Lastinger accepted the awards for their vision, generosity, and dedication to elevating the college and advancing its mission.
The dinner continued with Kristina Tyson, Valarie Taran and Jóhanna Bjartmarsdóttir being recognized by Dean Glenn Good and Associate Dean Elayne Colón for outstanding undergraduate student awards. Dean Good and Associate Dean Colón then awarded Thacher Loutin, Jennifer Parra and Minji Yun for being outstanding graduate students. The college also presented scholarships to 166 students and professorships to 19 faculty members.
Outstanding Undergraduate Student Awards
Early Childhood Education Program’s Outstanding Undergraduate Student – Kristina Tyson
Kristina Tyson is currently pursuing her early childhood education degree. She is motivated to make a lasting impact in her students’ lives and strives to help them discover their potential by fostering curiosity and creativity. Ultimately, Tyson plans to combine her love of learning, dedication and personal experiences to make a positive difference in her classroom and community.
Kristina Tyson
Elementary Education’s Outstanding Undergraduate Student – Valerie Taran
Valerie Taran recently graduated from her elementary education program and is currently pursuing a M.Ed. in curriculum and instruction while teaching kindergarten at a public school in Gainesville. She is dedicated to making a meaningful impact on education in her classroom by using effective teaching practices.
Valerie Taran
Education Sciences’ Outstanding Undergraduate Student– Jóhanna Bjartmarsdóttir
Jóhanna Bjartmarsdóttir recently graduated from her education sciences program summa cum laude, having completed the University Scholars Program and a high honors thesis. She has a passion for instructional design and educational technology, with a mission to ensure every student has an equitable opportunity to receive an education. Bjartmarsdóttir has published research on school‐based mental health literacy curricula and plans to continue her studies in health education and behavior at the graduate level.
Jóhanna Bjartmarsdóttir
Outstanding Graduate Student Awards
Outstanding Graduate Leadership Award – Thacher Loutin
Thatcher Loutin is a third‐year Ph.D. student in curriculum and instruction, researching language, dialect and voice in virtually relevant pedagogy. She has shown exceptional community-engaged leadership as an instructor and site coordinator for the Akwaaba Freedom School and was awarded the prestigious Ella Baker Overall Excellence Award. Loutin’s other contributions include co‐authoring a peer‐reviewed article, publishing children’s books, curating an exhibition and presenting at national and international conferences.
Thacher Loutin
Outstanding Graduate Professional Practice Award – Jennifer Parra
Jennifer Parra recently graduated from her Ed.D. program in special education with a specialization in dyslexia with a 4.0 GPA. She is currently working for the College of Education as an adjunct lecturer for the Ed.D. program and is a coach for the UFLI dyslexia certificate program. Parra is committed to elevating the field of special education by supporting students and contributing to their success.
Jennifer Parra
Outstanding Graduate Research Award – Minji Yun
Minju Yun is a Ph.D. student in the science education program, maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Through her research and teaching, she connects theory and practice by broadening access to emerging STEM fields and creating conceptually rich learning experiences that prepare educators for meaningful science instruction.
Minji Yun
Professorships
The college also recognized the following faculty with professorship awards:
- Bunnie Othanel Smith Research Professorship: Nelson Brunsting, Ahmad Rahimi and Sara Smith
- Dennison Teacher Researcher Excellence Award: Jon Mundorf
- Diane E. Haines Teaching Excellence Award: Jinnie Shin
- Irving & Rose Rien Endowed Professorship: Melinda Leko, Corinne Huggins-Manley, Kathrin Maki and Hannah Mathews
- Kenneth C. Griffin Computer Science Education Professorship: Maya Israel
- Larry C. Kubiak Endowed Professorship: Joni Splett, Laura Shannonhouse and Wanli Xing
- Robert B. Primack Memorial Foundations of Education Endowment: Christopher Thomas and Sevan Terzian
- Rosser Educator Excellence Award: Mercedes Machado and Vivian Gonsalves
- Rosser Family Term Professorship: Julie Brown and Christopher Redding
Congratulations to all
The night was filled with celebration as accomplished alumni, outstanding students, scholarship recipients and professorship awardees were recognized with gratitude and an optimistic focus on the future.
“Whether you’re students doing fabulous work in the classroom as future practitioners, leaders, and researchers, or you’re faculty who are informing our students, preparing them for the world, and doing research that’s, creating innovations that are gonna be powering education in the future,” Good said. “Our world is changing fast, very fast — I don’t know who’s gonna be better prepared to deal with this than our university and our college.”
Scenes from the Scholarship & Awards Dinner
