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Alexis Harris embodies the School of Education and Humanities Teacher Licensure Program’s commitment to teaching for equity and justice. 

Harris has been named the 2022 Outstanding Graduate in the Secondary Humanities Teacher Licensure Program for the ways she shows up, head and heart, each week and is always open to unlearning and engaging in critical self-reflection.  

Her faculty nominators contend she has consistently been a stellar student who shows up, and as a classroom educator, Harris is an impeccable planner, remaining mindful of her deeply felt equity aims in each and every learning experience she designs. 

“Her lessons are creative, thoughtful, and grounded in student experiences, interests, and needs,” her nominators state. “Her impressive ability to foster opportunities to build relationships with students in the enactment of these lessons results in the creation of a classroom community in which students are both challenged and nurtured. 

“Alexis has grown into a powerful educator, one who invites students to consider and critique dominant narratives designed to do harm and supports them in building alternatives designed to imagine a new, different, and more just world.” 

 Harris’ humility, passion, and unwavering commitment to young people make her an extraordinary educator and graduate with promising future.

In her own words

Please tell us a bit about yourself​  I'm from Colorado Springs, Colorado. I've wanted to be a teacher since I was in kindergarten! My kindergarten teacher was a huge role model for me and always went beyond the traditional responsibilities of a teacher. As I went through middle and high school, I started exploring what I wanted to do and drifted away from the idea of teaching. I explored anatomy in hopes of becoming a doctor and physics in hopes of becoming an engineer. In those classes, I never really found true passion or joy. But across all of the classes I explored, the one common thread that I found was that I loved getting to tutor other students. Seeing that lightbulb go off when I explain something will always be an awesome experience for me.”

What is one of the lessons from your time at CU �鶹ӰԺ that you’ll carry with you into the next chapter?

  I have learned so much over the course of my four years at CU, but the biggest thing that I have learned is that learning never ends! My educational experience will not stop when I leave campus, and I want to keep the same sense of curiosity for the world that I have always had. There are always new ideas, perspectives, and lessons to learn, and I will always be searching those out. As my favorite quote form Bill Nye goes, "Everyone you will ever meet knows something that you don't". I want to maintain this in my classroom, and really just my life in general.”

What does graduating from CU �鶹ӰԺ represent for you and/or your community?

  I am a first generation college student, so it really represents a really cool moment for us. For me, it both signals an end but also a new beginning. It is bittersweet, but I am excited for what's to come.”

What is your best piece of advice for incoming students?

  Form relationships—with new friends, faculty members, professors, experts in the field. Those relationships are what keep you going when you hit hard times in this college experience. You will always have people in your corner, and it is important to rememeber we're not alone in this!”

What continues to drive your passion for your work after graduation?

  My mom likes to call me a "professional student," because I absolutely love learning and could be in the classroom forever if I had the opportunity (in a way, I do!). My passion will continue on because I have a drive for learning, but also because I have felt so fulfilled in my experience so far. Student teaching and the relationships that I formed with students keep me so so excited for the future.”