TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — University of Arizona graduate, Juliana Urtubey has been named ‘Teacher of the Year.’ It’s a national program that has the recognition and support of the White House.
Urtubey says, “I’m really grateful to Dr. Jill Biden for amplifying the teacher of the year program the way she has.”
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden surprised Ms. Urtubey at her school in Las Vegas, where she teaches pre-school to fifth grade special education.
Dr. Biden present Ms. Urtubey with flowers and an invitation to the White House.
After graduating from the University of Arizona, Juliana started her career as a teacher at a number of local schools. She says, “I taught at schools in Tucson Unified School District, I taught in Davis, I also taught in Los Amigos.” And although she now calls Las Vegas home, Juliana says, “Tucson to me is almost like a third home.”
The pandemic brought many hardships especially for teachers across the country, which is another reason Juliana is proud to be representing over 3 million teachers with her new title.
“I thought it was such a wonderful way to honor all of the hard work teachers do every year but especially these last two years,” says Juliana.
Despite the challenges, Juliana says it’s worth it. “We do it because we love learning and we love our students,” she says.
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