Graduate Student Teacher of the Year

The School of Graduate Studies seeks nominations from colleges for outstanding graduate students to be considered for the Graduate Student Teacher of the Year. Submissions can only be made by the college deans’ offices, and each college may nominate only one student for this recognition.

Nomination Procedures

Past Recipients

2023 USU Outstanding Graduate Student Teacher of the Year Award: Caroline Phillips

Caroline Phillips

Throughout her life, Cari Phillips has had a tender place in her heart for students and families. After earning a double major in Elementary and Early Childhood Education, she spent 2020 teaching Kindergarten. During this time, she was struck by the powerful potential of advocacy to help children establish strong self-esteem, cultivate strong relationships with their families, and reclaim the essential role of social studies in the classroom. This led her to pursue a Master’s Degree in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Intercultural Communication, Identity Studies, and Early Childhood Educational Advocacy.

Amidst the seminars and research, Cari cultivated her teaching passion once again - this time not with twenty five-year-olds, but twenty-five-year-olds! Helping undergraduate students ask important questions, search for truth, and fortify their most important relationships has been the highlight of her graduate student experience. The combination of her undergraduate and graduate interests has inspired her next goal: the pursuit of a PhD, where she will continue to advocate for students and families of every age and background.

In her free time, Cari loves to play competitive pickleball, sing arias, travel, and spend time with her favorite people - her family.

2023 College Graduate Student Teachers of the Year