Latosha Mulhall, who earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Missouri S&T in 2023, won a Missouri Teacher Leaders of Tomorrow award from the Missouri Milken Educators on Friday, April 19. Mulhall teaches at Belle Elementary School in Belle, Missouri.

Missouri Teacher Leaders of Tomorrow celebrates educators who have demonstrated high potential. The distinction aims to empower awardees by pairing them with another award-winning educator who will encourage them to pursue excellence during their first year as a teacher. Only 10 students in Missouri earn the award each year.

Mulhall took a nontraditional path to teaching. After working in early childhood education, she arrived at S&T as a transfer student.

“When she was at S&T, she made a big impression on the education department’s faculty and staff,” says Dr. Beth Kania-Gosche, chair and professor of education at Missouri S&T. “She came into the program with a determination to finish school and work as a teacher, and, in the end, she was teaching in the elementary school before graduation.”

Kania-Gosche says that Mulhall distinguished herself by supporting and encouraging other students as they engaged with their own education and the lessons they were being prepared to teach.

“There is a huge need for leaders and mentors in Missouri schools,” says Kania-Gosche. “That is part of why S&T nominated Latosha – she embodies what we are doing by producing great teachers who can support not just their students but their peers as well.”

Kania-Gosche says that goal is at the core of the department’s new graduate certificate program in teacher leadership. The certificate is designed for practicing K-12 teachers who want to take a research-based approach to facilitating instructional improvement within a department, grade level or school.

“By strengthening teacher leaders within our schools, we increase the ability of the entire staff to create change and improve collaborative opportunities,” says Kania-Gosche. “And Latosha is just that – a leader and mentor who is eager to help students.”

About Missouri University of Science and Technology

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of over 7,000 students located in Rolla, Missouri. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System, Missouri S&T offers over 100 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top public universities for salary impact, according to the Wall Street Journal. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.