About 140 students and teachers from high schools across the state are expected to attend the second annual Educators Rising New Mexico conference Sundaythrough Tuesday on the New Mexico State University campus.
The conference will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday with registration, followed by competitions and breakout sessions. It will end Tuesday afternoon following an awards ceremony.
“We are excited about the growth of Educators Rising across New Mexico,” said Karen Trujillo, Educators Rising state director and assistant professor in NMSU’s College of Education. “If we want to have great teachers in our state, we have to grow our own, and that is what we are trying to do.”
NMSU’s College of Education established Educators Rising NM in 2015. Educators Rising, formerly known as Future Teachers of America, is a national organization focused on supporting high school students who aspire to become teachers. The purpose of the conference is to increase the number of education majors across the state, and to support retention in the field. Last year’s conference attracted nearly 100 students and educators.
This year’s keynote speaker will be Stephanie Gurule-Leyba, the 2017 New Mexico Teacher of the Year. Gurule-Leyba is a medical sciences teacher at Capital High School in Santa Fe Public Schools, and has taught at the school for 21 years. Initially destined for a career in the medical field, Gurule-Leyba developed a passion for teaching while enrolled in a teaching elective course in college and decided to dedicate her enthusiasm for science and medicine to New Mexico’s students.
“Mrs. Gurule-Leyba is a dedicated champion for students and she represents the very best of our teachers across the state,” New Mexico Secretary of Education Hanna Skandera said in a statement. “She has impacted hundreds of lives during her 20 years of service and demonstrates the excellence in teaching each and every day that this award recognizes. I’m so proud to have her in New Mexico, sharing her passion for science and medicine, and inspiring students to reach their full potential.”
Gurule-Leyba holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in counseling and education from New Mexico Highlands University. She is scheduled to speak to conference attendees at 8:30 a.m. Monday in Room 320 of the Corbett Center Student Union.
Information from NMSU