Barbara Ozuna receives TCU College of Education Excellence in Education Award

Fort Worth, TX

4/26/2010

By: Megan McGuire, Office of Communications intern

Barbara Ozuna, ’90, was selected as the 2010 recipient of the Excellence in Education award given by the TCU College of Education Alumni Association. The 17th annual award reception took place in April at the Brown-Lupton University Union on the TCU campus.

Since 1994, the Excellence in Education Award has been given annually to a professional who has made exceptional contributions to improvement in education.

“I can think of no educator other than Barbara who has done more for the students and teachers in the Fort Worth Independent School District,” said Carolyne Creele, executive director of literacy and humanities for Fort Worth ISD.

Ozuna received her bachelor of arts in history and Spanish from TCU in 1990 and a master’s degree in history from the University of North Texas in 1995. Since then, she has served as a social studies teacher and academic coordinator at Paschal High School, an Advanced Placement initiative grant coordinator for Fort Worth ISD and a college board consultant for Advanced Placement programs in history. Colleagues say her efforts at Paschal have allowed the school’s Advanced Placement program to grow and thrive, and her leadership in the field of social studies has encouraged her students to compete in national competitions.

“I am extremely honored to have been nominated for and be the recipient of such a prestigious award,” Ozuna said. “Education and students are my passion and I feel so blessed to be able to love my work. The award is a wonderful acknowledgment that I am doing a pretty good job.”

Ozuna also has also worked closely with TCU’s College of Education to give education students the opportunity to observe and learn at Paschal, providing them with an easier transition from the university to the public school classroom.

Ozuna was the 17th individual to receive the Excellence in Education Award. Previous recipients have included: Dr. M.J. Neeley, Bill Haley, Mary Elmore Williams, Susan Swain Hotard, Taddie Curl Hamilton, Shari Perrin Emmons, Susan N. Smith, Dr. Henry J. Patterson, Ellen Young Swain, Sidney H. Poynter, Dr. Dan Powell, Dr. Cathy Collins Block, Kathy Lott, Dale Young, Brian Brazil and Clark Cavin.

For more information about the TCU College of Education, visit www.coe.tcu.edu.