2025 Outstanding Graduates
Abi Wirbel is originally from Colorado, but has always had a strong sense of wanderlust and with a deep passion for seeking new cultural and linguistic experiences in diverse, urban environments. Abi’s nomadic drive led her on a journey of over a decade, living in metropolitan centers within Spain, Los Angeles and Mexico City before returning to Boulder to pursue her MA+ teacher licensure in English Language Arts. Abi received the 2025 Outstanding Graduate Practices in Process Project Award.
As an eighth grader growing up in Carson City, Nevada, just a short drive from Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Hannah Kaiser had dreamed about attending CU Boulder ever since she had searched for colleges in the mountains and saw the Flatirons in the backdrop. Kaiser received the 2025 Outstanding Contribution to Teaching Award.
Iliana De La Rosa’s graduation from the °µÍø½ûÇø fulfills a promise she made to her grandfather when she was 8 years old. De La Rosa received the 2025 Outstanding Undergraduate Contribution to Community Engagement Award.
Some of Ashley Kim’s greatest inspirations and biggest cheerleaders were her teachers while growing up in nearby Longmont, Colorado. It was those teachers who continued to welcome her back into the classroom, encouraged her, and inspired her desire to do the same for new generations of students. Kim received the 2025 Outstanding Undergraduate Contribution to Teaching Award.
Trang Tran’s educational journey spans continents and disciplines rooted in a love of learning and a deep commitment to justice that help lead her way to graduate studies at CU Boulder. Tran received the 2025 Outstanding Dissertation Award.
For Beatriz Salazar, graduating with a PhD from the °µÍø½ûÇø is more than a personal milestone—it’s the realization of a promise she made as a child and the transformative power of community. Salazar received the 2025 Outstanding Community Engagement Award.