Nevada’s Juliana Urtubrey: Finalist for 2021 National Teacher of the Year

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Congratulations are due to Nevada educator Juliana Urtubrey. She has been named one of four finalists for the 2021 National Teacher of the Year Award. Photo credit: University of Arizona College of Education.

Congratulations are due to Nevada educator Juliana Urtubrey. She has been named one of four finalists for the 2021 National Teacher of the Year Award. She is the first Latina from Nevada to be selected as a finalist for the award.

Juliana works as a hybrid educator at Kermit R. Booker, Sr., Innovative Elementary School in the Clark Coiunty Public School District in Las Vegas, Nevada. There she serves as a co-teacher in pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade special education settings and as an instructional strategist developing school-wide Multi-Tiered System of Supports for academic, social-emotional, and behavioral interventions.

Before Juliana worked at Booker, she taught special education in the resource setting at Crestwood Elementary School. There the honored educator earned the nickname “Ms. Earth” in response to her work in beautifying her school and community with gardens and murals.

In addition to her classroom responsibilities, Juliana is a National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Teacher Fellow, a Nevada Teach Plus Senior Policy Fellow, an Understood Teacher Fellow and mentor, a Nevada Department of Education Superintendent Teacher Advisory Cabinet member, a National Board Network of Accomplished Minoritized Educators founding Board member, and a learning facilitator with the Nevada National Board Professional Learning Institute.

For her work in the field of education, Juliana has earned many accolades. She is a recipient of the 2019 Chicanos por La Causa Esperanza Latina Teaching Award; a recipient of the 2019 Hispanic Education Association of Nevada Teacher of the Year; and a 2018 Roger’s Foundation Heart of Education Winner.

Juliana earned her Bachelor’s degree in Bilingual Elementary Education in 2009 and her Master’s degree in Special Bilingual Education in 2011, both from the University of Arizona. In addition, she is a National Board-Certified Teacher (Exceptional Needs Specialist, Early Childhood and Young Adults).

To read more about this exceptional educator, see the article about her published by the State of Nevada Department of Education.