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UIW Teacher Education alumni are making a difference in Texas classrooms and beyond.
Cardinal Spotlights
The UIW Teacher Network is proud to recognize our outstanding graduates
for their achievements and dedication to their communities.
Christian Eichman
'24 BA
Congratulations to Christian Eichman, a History Teacher at Sam Houston High School in San Antonio ISD, on being named the 25-26 Rising Star award winner for his campus. The Rising Star award honors outstanding teachers who are still completing their first year of teaching. Nominated by their principals, Rising Star new teachers demonstrate instructional excellence, leadership, and embody the SAISD Core Values and traditions.
Juanita Salas
'10 BA
Congratulations to Juanita Salas, First Grade Teacher at Somerset Academy Collegiate and the Girls Middle School Basketball Coach, on being designated Master by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and awarded a Teacher Incentive Allotment for the 2024-2025 academic school year. This honor is the highest honor awarded to top-performing teachers in their district.
Frances Mejia
'17 MAT
Congratulations to Frances Mejia, 3rd Grade Dual Language Teacher at Roosevelt Dual Language Academy, in Edgewood ISD, on being Recognized by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and awarded a Teacher Incentive Allotment for the 2024-2025 school year.
Valeria Ballesteros
'12 BA
Congratulations to Valeria Ballesteros, a 3rd Grade Teacher at Graebner Elementary, in San Antonio ISD, on being recognized as 'Exemplary' by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and awarded a Teacher Incentive Allotment for the 2023-2024 school year.
Nadine Golias
'13 BA
Congratulations to Nadine Golias, a Second Grade Teacher, at Hardy Oak Elementary in North East ISD. She was recently awarded a 2024-2025 NEEF grant of over $3,000 from the North East Educational Foundation (NEEF) for a proposal she wrote with a colleague. Their initiative, titled “The Outdoor Learning Environment,” aims to revitalize the school’s outdoor space by seamlessly transferring lessons from the PreK classroom outdoors.
Micah Hunter
'22 BA
Congratulations to Micah Hunter, 5th Grade Teacher Woodlawn Academy, in San Antonio ISD, on being Recognized by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and awarded a Teacher Incentive Allotment for the 2023-2024 school year.
Carolina Rogers
'20 BM
Congratulations to Carolina Rogers, an Elementary Music Teacher, and Middle School Choir Teacher, at Woodlawn Academy in San Antonio ISD. Carolina was recently named her campus' Fine Arts Department Chair for the 2024-2025 school year.
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Tiffany Fuentes
'09 BA & '11 MAT
Congratulations to Tiffany Fuentes, Kindergarten Teacher at Menchaca Early Childhood Center in Southside ISD, on being named the 2023-2024 Teacher of the Year for her campus! She was also a top 3 finalist for District Teacher of the Year!
Federico Jay Cardenas
'10 BM
Congratulations to Federico and his students, at Lanier High School in San Antonio ISD, for earning straight 1's at their recent 2024 UIL competition for Concert and Sight Reading. This is the 1st time in Lanier High School history they have sent 2 groups and both groups won a Sweepstakes.
Becky Quigley-Williams
'10 MAT
Becky was named an H-E-B Excellence in Education Leadership Secondary Finalist for 2024. She is a high school US History Teacher at Byron P. Steele High School in Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD (SCUCISD). As a San Antonio area Teacher finalist, Becky received a $1,000 check for herself and a $1,000 check for her school.
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Christina Rivera
'18 BA
Christina is the Choir Director at McNair Middle School in Southwest Independent School District. She was recently named the 2023-2024 Teacher of the Year for her campus.
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Eva Barrientos
'10 BA
Eva was recently honored with the CREST Award for Counseling Excellence for the 2023-2024 school year. This is the second year in a row she has been recognized and won this achievement. Congratulations to Eva and her school for being one of an elite group of schools from across the state of Texas to win the CREST Award for your exemplary program.
Samantha Bender
'09 BA
Samantha was recently (Dec. '23) awarded special recognition for her outstanding service to the students and families in Temple ISD. Through the Temple Education Foundation, she was honored with not one, but two All-Star Pins as a token of appreciation for her hard work and dedication to the community she serves. Each All-Star Honoree receives a special note along with the All-Star Pin.
Jennifer Silva
'12 BA
Jennifer Silva recently presented (Dec. '23) at the Texas Association of the Gifted and Talented (TAGT) conference in Dallas, TX. Her session called, Project SOAR (STEM Opportunities for Advancement and Readiness), uses an original framework and PBL curriculum to vertically align academic enrichment services to CTE programs offered at the secondary level. The presentation detailed the planning process and implementation, as well as the woes and wonders of this innovative program which will benefit all learners and prepare students for CTE and CCMR success.
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Ellen Romious
'23 BA
Ellen Romiouis was named one of only two Clinical Teachers of the Year for the state of Texas and named the National Student Teacher of the Year by Kappa Delta Pi/ATE 2023-2024. This award recognizes a student teacher who demonstrated outstanding skills and strategies during his/her student teaching experience.
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Joelisse Galarza, LCSW
'17 BA
Joelisse Galarza was recently promoted to National Director of Mental Health & Emotional Learning for Idea Public Schools during the 2022-2023 school year.
Christina Smith
'19 BA
Cristina Smith received the 2022-2023 Teacher of the Year Award at Jim Barnes Middle School, Seguin ISD. She was also awarded the Seguin ISD 2022-2023 Secondary Teacher of the Year.
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Pamela Hernandez
'17 BA
Pamela Hernandez is excited to be leading the opening and serving as the school Director for Montessori Kids Universe Stone Oak. The school is slated to open this Fall, August 2023, and serve infants to 6 years of age. She encourages families to explore their options as the beauty of education today is CHOICE.
Sandra Lafferty
'10 BA
Sandra Lafferty was awarded the 2022-2023 Distinguished Educator of the Year Award for Salinas Elementary, JISD. This honor is given to teachers who embody the spirit and commitment that produces educational excellence.
Alea Welch
'19 BA
Alea Welch was designated Exemplary by TEA and was awarded the Teacher Incentive Allotment for the 2022-2023 school year. This honor is awarded to top-performing teachers within their district and celebrates teachers with compensation and recognition through teacher designations.
Ami Giguere
'11 BA, '16 MAT
Ami Giguere is a teacher at Dwight D. Eisenhower Middle School in Northside Independent School District. She received the 2022-2023 Teacher of the of the Year Award.
Cindy Nieto-Ruiz
'14 BA
Cindy Nieto-Ruiz is a dedicated educator who works at the same school where she began her teaching career over 10 years ago. Cindy was named the KENS 5 2021-2022 Excel Award winner and received a $1,000 check from Credit Human for her dedication and commitment to advocating for her students. She was also named Teacher of the Year for at her campus for the 2021-2022 school year.
Luisafernanda Gutierrez
'20 BA
Luisafernanda Gutierrez is a 3rd-grade bilingual teacher at Langley Elementary in Northside Independent School District. She received the 2020-2021 First-Year Educator of the Year Award at Langley Elementary.
Robert Anderson
'14 BS
Robert Anderson is a 9th-grade teacher at O’Connor High School in Northside Independent School District. He was awarded the 2020-2021 Article of the Year by the Texas High School Coaches Association.
Alejandro Flores
'10 BA
Alejandro Flores III BA ’10 is the 2020-2021 Teacher of the Year at St. Anthony Catholic High School. He teaches Spanish I and II and Mexican American Chicano Studies. Flores is a Class of 2006 graduate of St. Anthony Catholic High School. He was selected for his efforts to make every student feel welcome and for challenging them to soar to new heights.
Leslie Holland
'17 BA
Leslie Holland is a junior and senior ELAR teacher at Brooks Collegiate Academy. She received the highest STAAR mastery percentage in the district for her 8th-grade class and her first year of teaching in 2017. Holland is pursuing her EdD degree at Creighton University.
Graviel Aleman
'17 BA
Graviel Aleman is an elementary physical education teacher at Steele Montessori Academy and assistant football and baseball coach at Highlands High School in San Antonio Independent School District. He is a Rising Star New Teacher of the Year nominee for the 2017-2018 school year.
Christina Rivera
'18 BA
Christina Rivera, a choir director at Southwest Independent School District, along with her students in the Scobee Middle School Treble Choir and Ronald McNair Middle School Tenor-Bass Choir received the 2019 Sweepstakes Award in 1st Division Ratings for Concert and Sight Reading and 2019 1st Division in Concert Performance at the UIL Concert & Sight-Reading Evaluation. The awards were the first music sweepstakes in Southwest Independent School District history.
Annalisa Mayhan
'18 BA
Annalisa Mayhan, third-grade teacher at Rolling Meadows Elementary in Judson Independent School District, received the 2018-2019 Novice Teacher Award. This award recognizes and honors new teachers that show excellence in the classroom with their students.
Cynthia Werner
'16 BA
Cynthia Werner, kindergarten teacher at Mission Academy in San Antonio Independent School District, received the Rising Star Award. She graduated summa cum laude from UIW and received her Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with minors in reading and special education.
Joey Ramirez
'16 BA, MA
Joey Ramiez, eighth-grade ELA teacher at Irving Middle School in San Antonio ISD, received the Teacher of the Month award.
Marina Zuniga-Johnson
'12 BA
Marina Zuniga-Johnson, fifth-grade teacher at Woodlake Elementary School, received the 2018 Distinguished Educators award in Judson ISD for her work.
Sarah Harred
'12 BA
Sarah Harred, third-grade teacher at East Central ISD, received the 2018 District Teacher of the Year Award. Sarah was also nominated for the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) 2019 Teacher of the Year.
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