Making the Grade as Future Educators

From kindergarten to college, during the course of a student’s educational journey, there are a plethora of distinctions, recognitions, honors and awards to be earned — gold stars, perfect attendance, National Honor Society, valedictorian, salutatorian, Dean’s list, cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude, athletic MVP awards and a spot on the honor roll, just to name a few.  

But who says teachers can’t get in on the awards action, too?  

For two current University of Northern Colorado (UNC) students and one newly-minted graduate, honor roll accolades of their very own became a recent reality.  

The Future Educator Honor Roll is a recognition from the Colorado Department of Higher Education that celebrates the state’s best and brightest teacher candidates — up-and-coming outstanding educators early in their educational journeys. 

Each year, the state selects a handful of teacher candidates or education students for recognition on the basis of their past accomplishments in the field of education and their goals and aspirations as future teachers.  

This year, the list consisted of just 43 individuals — among them were sophomore Marcus Robinson, senior Trenna Jones and Savana Long, ‘26. “Here in Colorado, we know education is the best investment we can make in our state and our future,” said Governor Jared Polis in a video message to this year’s awardees. “I want to thank all of you for dedicating your time and talents to this important work you’re about to embark on.”

Honoring Aspiring Educators

Jones is currently working toward her degree in Sport and Exercise Science with an emphasis in K-12 Physical Education. She also currently works as the president of UNC’s Physical Education Club and has served as a student representative on the SHAPE Colorado Board.  

According to her bio on the Future Educator Honor Roll website, Jones places particular emphasis on community involvement and professional development, believing that “as an educator, the community needs to know who is going into their students’ schools.” To facilitate this, she has both “invited the community onto campus and met them where they are by volunteering for field days.” 

After graduation, Jones aims to pursue a master’s degree in Physical Education Teaching with an emphasis on Adapted Education at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Just two years into his collegiate journey at UNC, Robinson is pursuing a degree in Psychology with a minor in Special Education, with the hopes of becoming a school counselor after he graduates.  

During his time in high school, Robinson witnessed the hurdles his fellow students had to overcome when seeking assistance from school counselors, and, inspired by a handful of mentors and advisors, he decided to set out on a path to change that.  

“I’ve often felt like there’s a gap in the relationship between counselors and students. I’ve had several friends who feel like they’ve been overlooked by the system and nobody was there to give them a helping hand or lend them an ear,” Robinson said. “I want to be able to be that person who can be there first in line when someone needs to be heard.” 

Robinson said that, so far, his time at UNC has only served to deepen his commitment to that goal, expanding his understanding of the field of education and the diverse needs of students everywhere.  

He hopes to one day pursue a master’s degree in school counseling, although he said he could see a future where he decides to become a school psychologist instead. One thing is certain, however; Robinson is committed to creating a space where students can feel seen, heard and supported.  

“You may not think what you’re doing is having an impact — [students] may not even respond to your emails. But you know what? You never know. That one email could change the course of a person’s day, week, year or more,” Robinson said. “That’s my main goal, honestly. Hopefully that does something helpful for this world.” 

Long, who graduated this past May with a degree in Theatre Education with a minor in Psychology, plans to teach English at Greeley Central High School (her other alma mater) starting this fall.

It was her time at Greeley Central that inspired Long to enter the field of education in the first place, so hitting the ground running post-graduation with a teaching position there is a dream come true — as well as starting her career with this recent accolade under her belt.

“This recognition means a lot — more than I would have said it did before receiving it, because it’s been a long road to get here. Throughout my educational journey, it’s been hard not to slip into this feeling of mediocrity and like, imposter syndrome,” Long said. “To receive an award like this was not only super humbling, but reassuring. It showed me that I’m doing alright and that other people can see that too.”

In her role as a teacher, Long hopes to provide her students with the same positive environment she experienced in high school, while also encouraging them to grow into curious, well-rounded thinkers. In her eyes, that growth is rooted in trust and understanding.

“I think education has taken a marked turn over the past few years. We hear all about how test scores are going down, how students can’t read, how Gen Z/Gen Alpha is ‘cooked,’ so to speak, when all that a lot of these kids really need is a little bit of support and understanding,” Long said. “I’ve seen such amazing transformations from students who completely come out of their shells when they feel respected and supported.”

Although she’s starting her educational career teaching English, she hopes to continue to be involved in theatre as much as possible — including helping Greeley Central’s current theatre teacher with the school’s productions. Long wholeheartedly believes in the value theatre, and all performing and visual arts, can add to a student’s educational experience.

“[Participating in theatre] helps students realize that, in order to make something that people will want to watch, you’ve got to show up and do more than the bare minimum,” Long said. “It encourages them to become people that they’re proud of. That’s something I hope to do, too.”

A Tradition of Excellence

This recent recognition of UNC students both past and present continues UNC’s history of excellence in preparing professionals in the field of education.

In 2025, three UNC alumni were named to the Future Educator Honor Roll, and earlier this year, Stephen Paulson, ‘11, was selected as Colorado’s 2026 Teacher of the Year, making him the 19th UNC alum to win the award, according to the Colorado Department of Education (CDE). Previously, Jessica May, ‘96, was named as Colorado’s 2024 Teacher of the Year.

RELATED: Alumni Honored with Colorado Teacher of the Year Award

Additionally, of the 21 semifinalists for the 2027 Colorado Teacher of the Year, two are UNC graduates:

• McLayne Hager, ’19, a sixth grade teacher at Briggsdale School in Briggsdale School District.
• Brian Sleevi, ’05, an English language arts teacher at Bayfield High School in Bayfield School District.

Since CDE began recognizing exceptional K-12 classroom teachers in 1963, over 35% of Colorado Teacher of the Year awardees have been UNC graduates.