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Hundreds of Denver Public School students visited CU �鶹ӰԺ on May 15 for an annual competitive event designed to showcase their creative talents and to encourage them to pursue higher education after high school. Students competed in categories such as poetry, art, speech, creative writing, cultural dancing and culinary dishes during the annual Spanish Heritage Language and Culture Day.

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 �鶹ӰԺ 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 �鶹ӰԺ 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 �鶹ӰԺ with a BA in ethnic studies and her secondary teacher licensure in English education from the School of Education.

CU �鶹ӰԺ is establishing a new research institute committed to building a world in which health and wellness are valued, promoted and protected for all children and youth. The five founding faculty members of the Renée Crown Wellness Institute, established by philanthropist Patricia Crown, include: Professors Sona Dimidjian, Erik Willcutt and Yuko Munakata from arts and sciences, and Professor Ben Kirshner and Dean Kathy Schultz from education.

Amidst a turbulent political climate and activist- and youth-led social movements, many educators have been wondering not only how to teach but also how to parent during challenging times. We have partnered with Teaching Tolerance to publish Reading for Social Justice, a guide for educators and families interested in starting intergeneration social justice reading groups.

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.

The CU �鶹ӰԺ Alumni Association honored Bethy Leonardi (PhD EFPP ’14) and Sara Staley (PhD C&I Literacy ’14), School of Education research associates and co-founders of A Queer Endeavor, with the 2018 Kalpana Chawla Award at the October annual awards ceremony, one of CU �鶹ӰԺ's oldest traditions.

At the fall series of Ed Talks, we learn about ways to challenge assumptions and create new paradigms around diversity and inclusion in education and beyond. Inspired by TED Talks, Ed Talks explore "hot topics" in education through short, engaging presentations led by education faculty and collaborators. Missed the latest Ed Talks? Check out the updated video gallery.