Graduating teachers honored at recognition ceremony

KOKOMO, Ind. - Faculty and staff in the Indiana University Kokomo Division of Education, along with the 2026 Indiana Teacher of the Year, welcomed 50 new teachers into the profession at its annual recognition and pinning ceremony.

Scott Jones, executive vice chancellor of academic affairs, congratulated the graduates on becoming teachers, noting they have a great responsibility to the children they will teach.

"Each of you will have the opportunity to transform student lives every day, to make the sort of difference that people 50 years later will still be profoundly grateful for," he said. "I want to thank you now for the great work you all will go on to do."

Chris Darr, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, said in choosing the profession, they've chosen to change lives.

"Your students will remember you, and everything you do or say in and out of the classroom matters," he said. "They will remember the effort you put into educating them, and they will remember the care you showed them as human beings."

Outstanding student award winners Jeana Aughinbaugh in elementary education, Tim Bullock in secondary education, and Ellen Clark in Transition to Teaching, also addressed their classmates.

"To receive this award is to experience overwhelming gratitude," Aughinbaugh said. "I cannot share a big enough thank you to the people in my life who have cheered me on to this moment. To my peers, I desire to share this experience with you also. To acknowledge the time you have spent devising lesson plans longer than the Student Handbook, and the stress that you treated with caffeine, sweet treats, late hours, and little sleep. To thank you for showing up for your students, the ones who are easy to love and those who you love only because you know they depend on it. And to applaud you for your resilience as educators to be on the front lines of chaos and adversity and yet be steadfast in enduring every challenge before you."

Bullock said the journey hasn't been easy, and there are days they wonder if they were meant to be teachers.

"But here's the truth. We didn't come this far to be average, and we didn't enter this profession to quit when it gets tough," he said. "Some of our students will walk into our classrooms carrying more than we can see. On those days, what they need isn't a perfect lesson; it's a teacher who shows up anyway. So be that teacher. Be consistent. Be real. Care even when it's not convenient. And never give up on kids, especially the ones who make it the hardest."

Clark thanked her support network, including her family, her administration team at Central Middle School, her mentors, and her IU Kokomo faculty.

"Thank you for pushing me to become better," she said. "You've helped me strengthen my lesson planning, ask deeper and more meaningful questions, and challenged me to go farther than I thought I could. Those skills have truly transformed the way I teach."

2026 Indiana Teacher of the Year Megan Johnson, an educator at Central Elementary School in Plainfield, also offered welcome wishes to the graduates.

Mackenzie Taylor was also honored as the IACTE Outstanding Future Educator.

Graduates recognized included:

Elementary Education: Whitney Gosnell, Alexandria; Katie Jones, Anderson; Ella Leininger, Atlanta; Hannah Becker, Auburn; Natalie Hall, Carmel; Ella Heflin, Cutler; Emily Bragg, Elwood; Maylee Didion, Gas City; Rachael Duchateau, Greentown; Emily Conyer, Jamestown; Nathan Carpenter, Ellen Clark, BreAsia Gamble, Kenya Garcia, Faith Melchi, Brynn Miller, and Zachary Paschal, Kokomo; Timothy Bullock, Alisson Rodriguez, and Lexi Zartman, Logansport; Michelle Lynch, Marion; Camden France Mahorney, Noblesville; Kayla Kraning, Rochester; Taylor Stern, Sheridan; Justin Dyer, Tipton; Stephen Madaris, Wabash; and Jacob Medvescek, Zionsville

Elementary and Early Childhood: Grace Richardson, Cicero; Mackenzie Taylor, Kokomo; Cassidi Whistler, Lafayette; and Casidy Bartel, Peru

Elementary Education and Mild Intervention: Brynn Miller, Kokomo; Olivia Corcoran and Lucia Ponce, Logansport; and Jeana Aughinbaugh, Swayzee

Secondary Education, Earth Science: Tristan Robinson, Camden

Secondary Education, English/Language Arts: Jacob Hoffman, Winamac

Secondary Education, Visual Arts: Adrienne Bush, Kokomo

Secondary Education, Social Studies: Lily Spahr, Dayton, Ohio; Kyle Richards, Gas City; Jalynne Roller, Kokomo; Macy Davidson, Noblesville; and Nicholas Hughes, Tipton

Transition to Teaching Elementary Education: Carlos Jackson, Bloomington; Daniel Hartman, Fort Wayne; Zara Hopper and Ellen Clark, Kokomo; Michelle Lynch, Marion; and Joslyn Reader, Monticello

Transition to Teaching Secondary Education: Andrew Salinas, Kokomo; Devin Reagle, Peru

Education is KEY at Indiana University Kokomo.