Outstanding Graduate

Before starting his PhD at CU Boulder, Kyle Kopsick taught social studies at a high school in Quito, Ecuador for roughly five years. This experience greatly impacted his life and guided him to further his learning by joining the doctoral program in educational foundations, policy and practice. Kopsick has received the CU Boulder School of Education’s 2026 Outstanding Dissertation award.

Meet Bridger Jackson, a 4th generation educator and new lead teacher for his Denver community.
Originally from South Denver, it was his experience working with the Boulder Public Library District and connecting with its community that truly reaffirmed his belief that he was always meant to be a teacher. Jackson received this year’s Outstanding MA+ Graduate Contribution to Teaching Award.

When Paolo Chavez Calvadores started teaching in rural Colorado, he yearned for a more intentional approach to his work and how he shows up in the world. Originally from the Philippines, Calvadores came to the United States hoping to “grow as an educator and serve students in a meaningful way," he said.

Collette Heskett’s parents always lovingly remind her that she was born to be in science education. From a young age, Heskett spent most of her time playing “teacher” with her toys or observing bugs in their habitats for hours. Many years later, Heskett is now the 2026 CU Boulder School of Education's Outstanding Capstone graduate.

When Golda Harris applied to colleges, she thought she knew exactly what she wanted: a chemistry major. But the more she wrote about her love for science in her admissions essays, the more she felt a pull in a different direction: merging environmental science and teaching.

Through his belief that “relationships and community are the bedrock of meaningful teaching and research,” Devon Hedrick-Shaw would come to know he had found himself in the right place when he joined the PhD program at the School

With her new master’s degree from the CU Boulder School of Education and learning experiences in the Education Foundations, Policy and Practice program under her belt, Chelsea Mohr is merging her two worlds of teaching and education policy. For her thoughtful leadership and exceptional research in her capstone project, “Public Education At Risk,” she has earned the Outstanding Capstone Award

Abi Wirbel is originally from Colorado, but has always had a strong sense of wanderlust and with a deep passion for seeking new cultural and linguistic experiences in diverse, urban environments. Abi’s nomadic drive led her on a journey of over a decade, living in metropolitan centers within Spain, Los Angeles and Mexico City before returning to Boulder to pursue her MA+ teacher licensure in English Language Arts. Abi received the 2025 Outstanding Graduate Practices in Process Project Award.

As an eighth grader growing up in Carson City, Nevada, just a short drive from Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Hannah Kaiser had dreamed about attending CU Boulder ever since she had searched for colleges in the mountains and saw the Flatirons in the backdrop. Kaiser received the 2025 Outstanding Contribution to Teaching Award.

Iliana De La Rosa’s graduation from the University of Colorado Boulder fulfills a promise she made to her grandfather when she was 8 years old. De La Rosa received the 2025 Outstanding Undergraduate Contribution to Community Engagement Award.