{"id":20760,"date":"2026-10-22T14:45:04","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T18:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/?p=20760"},"modified":"2026-10-22T14:45:04","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T18:45:04","slug":"education-major-places-at-national-teaching-conference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/2026\/10\/22\/education-major-places-at-national-teaching-conference\/","title":{"rendered":"Education Major Places at National Teaching Conference"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kadence-column20760_2d4c13-d5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);}.kadence-column20760_2d4c13-d5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column20760_2d4c13-d5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column20760_2d4c13-d5 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column20760_2d4c13-d5 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column20760_2d4c13-d5{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column20760_2d4c13-d5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column20760_2d4c13-d5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column20760_2d4c13-d5\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019re building a legacy of future educators who will inspire, lead and make a lasting impact,\u201d says WilmU Graduate Program Coordinator <strong>Dr. Ashley Wilson<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That commitment is already taking shape through students like <strong>Austin Colazzo<\/strong>, an<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/education\/elementary-education-bs.aspx\"> Elementary Education (K\u20136)<\/a> major in WilmU\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/education\/indexe.aspx\">College of Education and Liberal Arts<\/a>, who earned fifth place in the Collegiate Creative Lecture competition at the National Educators Rising Conference in Portland, Oregon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The national conference brings together middle school, high school and college students who are interested in careers in education. Participants take part in competitive events, leadership development sessions and workshops designed to strengthen their teaching skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Colazzo was one of five collegiate students from Delaware to place in a national Educators Rising Collegiate Conference competition. His achievement came during Wilmington University\u2019s first year participating in both the Delaware and National Educators Rising Collegiate conferences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chair of Interdisciplinary Studies and Literature <strong>Dr. Kate Cottle<\/strong> served as Colazzo\u2019s mentor for the competition, helping him prepare for both the state and national levels. Dr. Wilson served as his advisor as he represented the University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDr. Wilson asked me to mentor Austin for this year\u2019s speech competition, and because he was the first Wilmington University student to compete, it was an exciting opportunity,\u201d says Dr. Cottle. \u201cHis idea of using nontraditional assessments to reach all kinds of learners resonates with many educators. Austin understands how to read an audience, adjust his pacing and connect with people \u2014 qualities that will serve him well as a teacher. I\u2019m proud of his accomplishment as one of the top five collegiate competitors nationally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Colazzo\u2019s placement gave Wilmington University a strong first showing in the Educators Rising collegiate program and reflected the preparation, creativity and commitment he brings to his future classrooms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u2014Maria Hess<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-row-layout-wrap.wp-block-kadence-rowlayout.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98{margin-top:0em;}.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:center;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:center;}.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-none, 0rem );row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-none, 0rem );max-width:var( --global-content-width, 1290px );padding-left:var(--global-content-edge-padding);padding-right:var(--global-content-edge-padding);padding-top:0em;padding-right:0em;padding-bottom:0em;padding-left:0em;grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 2fr);}.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98{border-top:1px solid #eeeeee;border-right:1px solid #eeeeee;border-bottom:1px solid #eeeeee;}.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr) minmax(0, 2fr);}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98{border-top:1px solid #eeeeee;border-right:1px solid #eeeeee;border-bottom:1px solid #eeeeee;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}.kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98{border-top:1px solid #eeeeee;border-right:1px solid #eeeeee;border-bottom:1px solid #eeeeee;}}.wu-text-col,.wu-img-col {\tmin-height: 114px;}.wu-text-col &gt; div,.wu-img-col &gt; div {\tflex: 1;}<\/style><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id18054_2a03df-98 alignnone FULL wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-2-columns kt-row-layout-right-golden kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-middle kb-theme-content-width\">\n<style>.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col{display:flex;}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-none, 0rem );}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col{background-color:var(--global-palette9, #ffffff);}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:center;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:row;flex-wrap:wrap;justify-content:flex-start;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > *, .kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-image, .kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > figure.wp-block-kadence-image{margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{flex-grow:1;}}.kadence-column18054_056c48-40 figure.image-is-svg {-webkit-margin-after: 1em;  margin-block-end: 1em;}img[src$=\".svg\"] {  max-width: 220px;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column18054_056c48-40 kb-section-dir-horizontal wu-img-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image18054_2c3578-23.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .kb-image18054_2c3578-23 .kb-image-is-ratio-size{max-width:273px;width:100%;}.wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image18054_2c3578-23.kb-image-is-ratio-size, .wp-block-kadence-column > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image18054_2c3578-23 .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:unset;}.kb-image18054_2c3578-23{max-width:273px;}.image-is-svg.kb-image18054_2c3578-23{-webkit-flex:0 1 100%;flex:0 1 100%;}.image-is-svg.kb-image18054_2c3578-23 img{width:100%;}.kb-image18054_2c3578-23:not(.kb-image-is-ratio-size) .kb-img, .kb-image18054_2c3578-23.kb-image-is-ratio-size{padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.kb-image18054_2c3578-23 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image18054_2c3578-23 size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/WU-Logo_L-Web_FullColor-750x225.png\" alt=\"Wilmington University Logo\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-20626\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/WU-Logo_L-Web_FullColor-750x225.png 750w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/WU-Logo_L-Web_FullColor-250x75.png 250w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/WU-Logo_L-Web_FullColor-768x230.png 768w, https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/WU-Logo_L-Web_FullColor.png 1500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{display:flex;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .kb-image-is-ratio-size{align-self:stretch;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .wp-block-kadence-advancedgallery{align-self:stretch;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column18054_182255-65{align-self:center;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column18054_182255-65{align-self:auto;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{background-color:#eeeeee;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column18054_182255-65{align-self:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column18054_182255-65{align-self:auto;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kt-row-column-wrap > .kadence-column18054_182255-65{align-self:center;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column18054_182255-65{align-self:auto;}.kt-inner-column-height-full:not(.kt-has-1-columns) > .wp-block-kadence-column.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;align-items:stretch;}}.kt-row-column-wrap &gt; .wp-block-kadence-column {align-self: stretch;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 &gt; div {  padding-block: 1em;}.kadence-column18054_182255-65 p:last-of-type {  -webkit-margin-after: 0;  margin-block-end: 0;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column18054_182255-65 kb-section-dir-vertical wu-text-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<p class=\"NoMargin wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:1rem\"><em>Want to read more in-depth stories? Explore our latest <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/category\/magazine\/\">magazine articles<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We\u2019re building a legacy of future educators who will inspire, lead and make a lasting impact,\u201d says WilmU Graduate Program Coordinator Dr. Ashley Wilson. That&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":20761,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[135],"tags":[187,1090,14,15],"class_list":["post-20760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-magazine","tag-college-of-education-and-liberal-arts","tag-magazine-fall-2026","tag-wilmington-university","tag-wilmu"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":135,"label":"MAGAZINE"}],"post_tag":[{"value":187,"label":"College of Education and Liberal Arts"},{"value":1090,"label":"Magazine Fall 2026"},{"value":14,"label":"Wilmington University"},{"value":15,"label":"WilmU"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/austin-colazzo-480x480.jpg",480,480,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Rachel Marchione","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/author\/rachel\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":135,"name":"MAGAZINE","slug":"magazine","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":692,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":457,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":135,"category_count":457,"category_description":"","cat_name":"MAGAZINE","category_nicename":"magazine","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":187,"name":"College of Education and Liberal Arts","slug":"college-of-education-and-liberal-arts","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":744,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":26,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":1090,"name":"Magazine Fall 2026","slug":"magazine-fall-2026","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1647,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":25,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":14,"name":"Wilmington University","slug":"wilmington-university","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":571,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":423,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":15,"name":"WilmU","slug":"wilmu","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":572,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":357,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20760"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20762,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20760\/revisions\/20762"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}