Rising Stars in Education: Three Future Teachers Earn Top State Honors

A deep personal calling and a shared commitment to making a difference in the lives of children and classroom excellence have propelled three Montclair State University graduates to the top of the teacher preparation program. Selected from hundreds of eligible students and dozens of nominees, Juliana Di Cosmo, Madison “Maddie” Heinold and Lydia Brubaker represent the pinnacle of excellence for Montclair’s College for Education and Engaged Learning (CEEL). The trio, along with the top three students from each of 20 participating colleges and universities in the state, will be recognized during the New Jersey Distinguished Clinical Intern Awards (NJDCIA) ceremony on June 8, which will be hosted at Montclair.

The statewide annual event will feature New Jersey Commissioner of Education Lily Laux and the State Teacher of the Year Gillian Ober, who will deliver the keynote address. The recognition highlights these new teachers’ commitment even at a time when the profession faces many challenges.

Montclair’s three student interns were selected from about 300 eligible students and more than 70 nominees, according to Professor of Teaching and Learning Minsun Shin and CEEL’s Clinical Year Placement Specialist P12 Nathan Cottrell, who oversee Montclair’s selection process. While many student teachers were deserving, the final three were chosen based on a state scoring rubric, says Shin, adding, “Our interns are thoughtful, dedicated, well prepared and deeply committed to the profession.”

The nomination process includes evaluations by coordinating teachers who work alongside them on a daily basis and letters of recommendation from university mentors and professors. Nominees also must submit an essay describing “a significant challenge during their full-time clinical practice and the sound steps that they take to resolve this challenge and reflect on it, and how the situation influenced their professional growth,” says Cottrell ’22 MA, Higher Education.

Positive Outcomes in Teacher Preparation

Montclair State University, originally established as the New Jersey State Normal School at Montclair in 1908, effectively prepares teachers for the profession. According to the most recent available outcome data (2024–2025) from the New Jersey Department of Education, Montclair’s initial teacher certification graduates:

• Are highly employable – 87% of graduates successfully secured positions in New Jersey public schools by the following school year after program completion
• Earn high academic standing – GPAs average between 3.68 and 3.9 and consistently meet or outperform statewide averages on most of their Praxis II subject exams
• Are prepared to enter classrooms – 97% received “Highly Effective” or “Effective” on Teacher Practice Scores
• Positively impact learning – 99% of Montclair’s new teachers received overall summative effectiveness scores of “Effective” or “Highly Effective”

If Montclair’s awardees are any indication, New Jersey children are in the hands of caring professionals who want to make a difference in and outside the classroom. Learn more about these future star teachers:

A Coincidental Reconnection: Maddie Heinold

Heinold chose Montclair for its proximity to her family home and her desire to work and save money. As a Family Science and Human Development major, Heinold worked at a daycare facility and later as a substitute teacher. She entered Montclair’s 4+1 combined BA/MAT program and earned dual certifications in elementary education (K-6) and teacher of students with disabilities.

Heinold’s passion for teaching resulted from a loss. When she learned that the 19-month-old Michael John “MJ” McFalls, whom she used to babysit died unexpectedly of an undiagnosed heart condition, she came to a profound conclusion.

“I’d never lost somebody close in my life,” she says. “But in the short time I had with him, I realized kids make an impact in my life in so many ways, and he’s a huge part of my why – why I want to become a teacher. I want to provide children a good education and academics but meet their needs socially and emotionally as well.”

Heinold lost touch with the McFalls when the family moved. But she and MJ’s mother, Heather McFalls, reconnected via social media as Heinold was starting her college career at Montclair, also McFall’s alma mater. Heinold shared with McFalls that she’d written her college essay about MJ’s impact on her life and her decision to pursue teaching.

McFalls ’06 (BA, Family and Child Studies) recalls how Heinold brightened her son’s days: “I remember the light she brought to his life and how happy he would be when she would walk through the door. It’s nice to look back and to think of that in his short life – how happy they made each other.”

She believes MJ has brought them together again because unbeknownst to either of them, Heinold will be teaching at the same school where McFalls teaches preschoolers in Bloomingdale, New Jersey, beginning this fall. “I’m excited to work in the same building with her,” says Heinold.

McFalls says: “I’m so proud of her, and I know she’s going to be such a great asset to our school district for those little kids.”

A Reciprocal Lesson: Juliana Di Cosmo

As a student teacher assigned to the Kearny School District, Juliana Di Cosmo received a homework assignment from a student, allowing her to build a connection. The student, who was social but disengaged from the biology content she was teaching, tasked her with learning “Wheels on the Bus” in Spanish, which he’d handwritten for her. She earned an A the following day when he quizzed her.

“The impact was immediate,” Di Cosmo wrote in her essay. “That small interaction demonstrated that I valued his culture and was willing to meet him where he was. He became more engaged during instruction and began attending after-school tutoring.”

Di Cosmo says she’s honored to be recognized for doing what she loves. “It really just solidifies that I picked the right path,” says Di Cosmo, who has accepted a job teaching 6^th and 7^th grade science in Woodbridge Township.

Creating a Safe Classroom: Lydia Brubaker

Although she was studying anthropology at Muhlenberg College, Lydia Brubaker spent her summers in New Jersey working at a preschool. Just before her senior year, she realized it was something she wanted to continue. “I found that I really enjoyed teaching and being with the children,” she says. “It was too late to change my major, so I applied for grad school.” She chose Montclair’s program because it “allowed me to come in having no background in teaching and still graduate in two years with my certificate to teach, and my master’s.” While earning her master’s, Brubaker worked as a teaching assistant and special education teaching assistant at Montclair’s Ben Samuels Children’s Center.

She soon discovered that making students feel safe in her classroom and adjusting to meet their needs was paramount to effective instruction. A student with selective mutism prompted Brubaker to choose it as a research topic and incorporate her learnings into teaching the child. “I wanted all of my students to be able to participate and feel safe in the classroom, and I could tell that he was having a harder time with that, so I wanted to figure out what I could do to help him,” she says. She deliberately incorporated nonverbal check-ins, alternative participation options and paired him with a buddy, whom she’d notice him whispering to at lunchtime.

“He really grew so much over the year. He started responding in one sentence answers,” she says. “The most rewarding thing for me was the relationships that I was able to form with him and all the other students, seeing how much they want to learn and enjoy being at school.”

She adds that by learning about selective mutism and adapting her teaching: “I was able to support my student while also strengthening my ability to differentiate instruction, create an inclusive classroom environment, and provide multiple pathways for student expression. Moving forward, I intend to continue building on these practices to ensure all my students feel safe, supported and able to participate.”

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