Colombian Juliana Ortube was named “National Teacher of the Year” in the United States

(Spanish CNN) – US First Lady Jill Biden surprised Colombian teacher Juliana Ortobi with a bouquet of flowers on Thursday: She had just been chosen the US National Teacher of the Year.

“Surprise! Congratulations Juliana Ortube on being named National Teacher of the Year 2021! I am very pleased to be able to celebrate and honor you personally. We are all at the White House thank you for the joy you bring to your students, their families and everyone who meets you,” Jill Biden wrote on social media Her own.

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A post shared by First Lady Dr. Jill Biden (flotus)

Urtubey posted on her Twitter account: “Thank you Dr. Biden, I’m honored to meet you and share this moment with you. My students will be very happy when they see this.

Juliana Ortube, who has taught classes for 11 years, is a teacher at Kermit R. Booker Innovative Elementary School in Las Vegas.

There she works “as an assistant teacher in special education settings from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, and as an educational strategist expert who develops support to meet the various academic, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students,” according to the National Teacher website for the year of the Board of Trustees of Public Schools (CCSSO) ).

CCSSO describes it as “a first-generation bilingual immigrant (immigrant) who loves school. Because of my attraction to teach through the High School Teacher Leadership Academy, I knew it would be important to be a bilingual teacher.

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“Now as the National Teacher of 2021, Juliana works to act as a mirror to her school community, helping students feel proud of their identities and their families, and learn about their strengths and contributions to the community,” he adds.

The teacher is known as Senora Tierra for “her efforts to beautify schools and unite society through murals and gardens”.

According to the award page, “As the National Teacher of the Year, Juliana plans to advocate for all students a” fair and enjoyable education “, an inclusive education that celebrates the identities of all students, their families and their communities.”

She is the first National Latino Teacher of the Year since at least 2005.

Juliana Ortube holds a BA in Bilingual Elementary Education and an MA in Bilingual Special Education from the University of Arizona. It also won the Rogers Foundation Prize for the Heart of Education in 2018.