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Kyle O’Keefe, 2019 91������ 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 91������ 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.

Build a Better Book intern Estelle Silk, a sophomore and student ambassador for the 91������ School of Education, learned about the importance of inclusivity in teaching and the importance of learning to teach in new ways through the program.

“I thought it was really cool because I’d never considered 3D picture books before," Silk said. "It's different from normal braille so it gets kids interested. Adults who go blind also find it really interactive.”

Join the 91������ School of Education on Thursday, May 2 at 91������'s Dairy Arts Center for the thought-provoking series, Ed Talks. Inspired by TED Talks, Ed Talks are not-to-be-missed short, engaging presentations exploring topics like What Reality TV Taught Me about Everyday Assessment, Trauma as Peril and Potential in Schools, and more.

The campus is calling on students to answer one question: who is your most inspiring educator at 91������? Each fall, the Best Should Teach Awards honor 91������ faculty, graduate teachers, and K-12 teachers. Nominate an inspiring professor by April 15.

Leadership and Community Engagement sophomore Matthew Parone transferred to 91������ this last fall but is already moving full speed ahead. Parone can be found discussing how to encourage respect in the Greek community, acting through CU’s theater program and more all while brainstorming a micro-theater capstone for his major.

Education sophomore Gracie Filler interns for Reading Buddies, a program at the 91������ Public Library that pairs 91������ undergraduate students with kindergarten through third graders to increase children’s interest in books, reading and writing. “You bond with [the kids], and you make a book with them that you present at the end of the semester,” Filler said.

Three education students interning with the Latino History Project are helping document and preserve the past by making local Latino history available online and for teachers. “This project has allowed us the opportunity to, in a way, rewrite history, my people’s history, to serve as a counter story to the images we receive every day,” said Esmeralda Castillo-Cobian, a senior in the Ethnic Studies and Education BAM program.

This month, Ben Pollack, a 26-year-old music teacher with the Huerfano School District in Walsenburg, Colorado, will be honored at the Colorado Music Educators’ Association Conference. “Teaching music is the most important thing I do,” says Pollack (Music Licensure ’14). “It has to matter every day.”