Posted on May 21, 2019
黑料社 is proud to announce Ms. Catherine Kraft as one of the five recipients of the 2019 (NISOD) Excellence Award. NISOD鈥檚 Excellence Awards were established in 1991 to provide colleges with an opportunity to recognize individuals each year who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and contribution to the students and colleagues on their campuses.
Since 2008, Ms. Catherine Kraft has taught several Spanish courses on the 黑料社-Corsicana location, including Beginning and Intermediate Spanish I & II. During her undergraduate years at Monterrey TEC in Monterrey, M茅xico, she fell in love with the language and culture of the Spanish-speaking world. When she completed her BA in Spanish at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), she accepted a teaching position at a private school in San Jos茅 del Cabo, M茅xico. A year later, Catherine returned to San Antonio to complete an MA in Bicultural Studies with a Spanish-language focus. On the day of her graduation at UTSA in 2007, she didn鈥檛 walk across the stage to receive her diploma. Instead she was interviewing for the position at Navarro College, and she has served as Department Chair of Foreign Language and Associate Professor of Spanish since then.
鈥淎t our school, we emphasize the 鈥榗ommunity鈥� part of community college,鈥� said Kraft. 鈥淚n the classroom, we strive to encourage and inspire students to do and be their best, but we find that the true connection comes from participation outside of the classroom: attending students鈥� sporting events, band and theatre performances, and choir concerts. Students appreciate the support, and this connection makes them eager to participate in and successfully complete classes. It is truly a gift to witness students鈥� successes, inside and outside of the classroom.鈥�
Kraft who is receiving the award for the second time (2010 & 2019), describes her favorite moments at Navarro. 鈥淓ach semester, I like to watch students file into a classroom on Day 1, as strangers, and exit on the day of their final exam, as friends. Also, Dr. Shellie O鈥橬eal, Director of the Theatre Department, has been kind enough to include me in some of her performances: I鈥檝e played a witch, an angel, and a gnome!鈥�
鈥淓ducation is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it.鈥� - Marian Wright Edelman
"Education is hanging around until you've caught on." - Robert Frost
About NISOD
For community and technical colleges that want to make the most of their professional
development dollars, NISOD provides budget-friendly, high-quality, and faculty-focused
programs and resources. For nearly 40 years, NISOD鈥檚 customer-focused approach has
helped align our wide array of benefits with the needs of our members. For more information
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