We congratulate all of you who are graduating this April from the McKay School of Education, and we wish you every success in your future endeavors. Your presence on this campus has been influential and you will be missed.

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The speakers selected for the McKay School convocation will be Samantha Munoz, Cassalene Lewis, and Richard C. Nielsen, who will give the keynote address. The convocation will be held on Thursday, April 25, in the Marriott Center, at 2:00 p.m.

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Samantha Hahne Munoz is from Lincoln, Nebraska, and is graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education with a Teaching English to Speakers Of Other Languages (TESOL) minor. Recently, she has been student teaching second grade at Mt. Loafer Elementary in Salem, Utah. After graduation, she is excited to return to Mt. Loafer Elementary and teach second grade as a full-time teacher while her husband finishes his degree at Brigham Young University. She loves being creative and feels teaching gives her the perfect creative outlet. When she’s not teaching, you can find her baking or watching movies with her husband.

 

Cassy Lewis is from Pleasant Grove, Utah. Lewis has earned her master’s degree in educational leadership and has been an educator for 21 years with Alpine School District. She taught first and second grade, along with Reading Recovery. Lewis is completing her second year as a clinical faculty associate with the McKay School. She was selected by the faculty to receive the School Leadership Award for outstanding academic performance and demonstration of leadership potential.

 

Lewis is the mother of three daughters who are all working on college degrees. They love to spend time outdoors camping or hiking, but most often bond over homework. Lewis is excited to see what the future holds with all that she has learned in her program. She wants to continually seek out opportunities for learning and growth.

 

Richard C. Nielsen currently serves as the superintendent of Nebo School District, which enrolls more than 32,500 students, in south Utah County. He has held this position since 2010.

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Prior to serving as superintendent, his career included service as a sixth-grade teacher, elementary school principal, and district-level administrator. Nielsen holds a bachelor of science degree in education and a master’s of education degree in educational leadership from Brigham Young University.

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Nielsen serves on a number of boards, including the Utah Valley University Board of Trustees, Utah County Board of Health, Nebo Education Foundation Board, Utah Valley Chamber Education Committee, and the Nebo Credit Union Board. He is also the co-chair of the UVU/MATC K–16 Alliance, and chair of the BYU–Public School Partnership.

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Nielsen grew up in Spanish Fork, Utah, and is a graduate of Spanish Fork High School. He and his wife, Karen, reside in Spanish Fork and are the parents of five children. In his leisure time, he enjoys reading a wide variety of genres, attending the theatre, and supporting sporting events.

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Written By: Jacob Hale

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Read the article online here.

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