The World Language Teacher Education (WLTE) program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is pleased to announce that three of its outstanding students and alumni have been recognized by the Illinois Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ICTFL) with prestigious awards. These awards celebrate exceptional individuals who are preparing to become or have recently entered the world language teaching profession.
This year, we are proud to recognize Macy Sherwood, Marie Jensen, and Caitlin Niesman for their achievements!
Macy Sherwood has been selected as the ICTFL New Teacher of the Year. This award recognizes individuals who have recently entered the world language teaching profession and who show notable promise of becoming professionally active ICTFL members, as well as outstanding teachers of world languages. Macy graduated from the WLTE program in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in the Teaching (BAT) of German. She currently teaches German at Addison Trail High School and has demonstrated remarkable ambition and dedication in just her first year of teaching. Among her goals are earning an MA degree in German and expanding her German program to offer dual-credit classes.
In addition, Marie Jensen and Caitlin Niesman have both been selected as recipients of the World Language Teaching Majors award, which recognizes outstanding college students who are preparing to become the next generation of world language educators. Both Marie and Caitlin are exemplary teacher candidates currently enrolled in the WLTE program. Marie is pursuing teaching licensure in addition to completing her MA in German. Her passion for the German language and culture, combined with her dedication to teaching, makes her a standout candidate for this award. Caitlin is working towards licensure through the Bachelor of Arts in the Teaching (BAT) of Spanish program, with endorsements in English as a Second Language and Math. Caitlin’s enthusiasm for the Spanish language and her innovative teaching approaches have earned her this well-deserved recognition.
Macy, Marie, and Caitlin have demonstrated commitment to language education and their academic and professional achievements have distinguished them as future leaders in the field. The WLTE program is proud to foster and develop such dedicated and promising educators. We look forward to seeing the positive impact they will undoubtedly have on their students and the broader educational community.