Three years into her dream career as an educator, Kiana Foster-Mauro ’20 (ED), ’21 MA is Connecticut’s 2024 Teacher of the Year. “I’ve always known that this was the profession that I wanted to be in,” says Foster-Mauro, a fourth-grade teacher at New London’s Nathan Hale Arts Magnet School whose professor mom raised her in an environment where learning was celebrated. Now in the running for National Teacher of the Year, Foster-Mauro came out on top among 100 district-level teachers. Honing her leadership skills in organizations including Leadership in Diversity, Foster-Mauro credits the Neag School of Education for helping her find her path to education and introducing her to role models such as then–Connecticut Teacher of the Year, now U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes. “Being passionate and celebrating the community” are the most important qualities a good teacher possesses, says Foster-Mauro. “I love that every day is a new adventure; I don’t go to work expecting the same thing as the previous day. I love connecting with new students each year and being part of their lives.”