Uplifting greatness at the Celebration of Excellence

Taiwo Ogundapo (center), winner of Outstanding Associate Instructor Award, with Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Teacher Education Meredith Park Rogers (left) and Professor Rob Kunzman (right)

Faculty, staff, and students came together to recognize the amazing work done across the IU School of Education during the annual Celebration of Excellence event.

Award for Outstanding Research
Kyungbin Kwon (LDAE)

Award for Outstanding Partnership and Collaboration
Gamze Ozogul (LDAE)

Martha Dawson Award for Outstanding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Achievement
Sylvia Martinez (ELPS)

Burton W. Gorman Distinguished Teaching Award
Janet Decker (ELPS)

Award for Excellence in Mentoring
Kyungbin Kwon (LDAE)

Deans’ Advisory Council Student Choice Award
Patrick McKamy (UTE)

Deans’ Advisory Council Student Choice Award
Jill Scott (C&I)

Applied Psychology in Education and Research Methodology

Outstanding Associate Instructor Award
Eli Friedman

Outstanding Associate Instructor Award
Karina Mojica

Outstanding Associate Instructor Award
Taylor Underwood

Trustees Teaching Award
Charlotte Agger

Trustees Teaching Award
Sijia Huang

Trustees Teaching Award
Ellen Vaughan

Curriculum and Instruction

Outstanding Associate Instructor Award
Mariah Pol

Outstanding Associate Instructor Award
Iwan A.J. Sianturi

Outstanding Associate Instructor Award
Taiwo Ogundapo

Trustees Teaching Award
Susan Klinker

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Outstanding Associate Instructor Award
Yih Tsao

Trustees Teaching Award
Frank Perrone

Learning, Design, and Adult Education

Outstanding Associate Instructor Award
Sohheon Yang

Outstanding Associate Instructor Award
Morgan Vickery

Outstanding Adjunct
Troy Cockrum

Student Academic Center

Outstanding Associate Instructor Award
Hanna Lim

Indiana Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Outstanding Future Educator Award
Sophia Feightner
Mark Mileusnic
Maitlyn Richards
Ellie Rising
Hannah Scammell

Honorable Mentions:
Avery Park
Jillian Smith
Laura Strahm

M. Jane Kaho Staff Recognition Award
Jodi Adkins
Vicky Lewis
Sara Sturgeon

Holmes Scholars

Mya Jo Hurtado
Andrea Lopez
Kyndall Saunders
Manabu Taketani

Armstrong Educators 2025-2026 Cohort

Adrienne Chyba – K-5 Instructional Coach/Mohawk Trails Elementary School
Claudia Seidle – 2nd grade Dual Language Spanish/Thompson Crossing Elementary School
Amy Norris – German Teacher-Secondary/Edgewood High School
Troy Cockrum – HS Journalism, Yearbook, Video Production, and Dual-Credit Public Speaking/Bloomington High School North
Brian Bobbitt – Project Lead the Way Master Teacher/Evansville North High School
Timothy Sokolowski – Social Studies Teacher-United States Government, US Government Honors, and AP/Dual Credit US Government and Politics/Franklin Central High School
Melissa Heim – 7th grade Science, High School Biology 2/Clinton Prairie School Corporation

Jacobs Teacher Educator Award 2025 Cohort

Jason Walke – Social Studies and Internships Faculty, Oldenburg Academy
Randall Tomes – Communication Studies, Crestview Elementary School, Metropolitan School District of Lawrence Township
Aishat Balogun – Biology, Bloomington High School North, Monroe County Community School Corporation
Brian Bobbitt – Industrial Technology, North High School, Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation
Paul Heinemann – 5th and 6th Grade Reading Interventionist, Raymond Park Intermediate and Middle School, Metropolitan School District of Warren Township