UC Irvine Educators Honored with Prestigious Bilingual Education Awards
By Sofia Del Fine
March 5, 2025
March 5, 2025
Natalie Cabrera
The UC Irvine School of Education is proud to celebrate Natalie Cabrera, Caroline Dyer and Dante Ruiz, who have been selected to receive the CABE Teachership Award at the upcoming California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) Conference on March 26-29! This award recognizes outstanding educators who champion bilingual and biliteracy education, making a lasting impact on their students and communities.
A special congratulations to Natalie Cabrera, who has also been awarded the NABE Teacher Scholarship by the National Association for Bilingual Education—an honor given to just one educator nationwide each year. Natalie is also the first-ever recipient from UC Irvine’s Bilingual Authorization Program (BAP) to receive this prestigious award, a testament to her dedication to advancing bilingual education and student success.
Cabrera believes that the reason she was selected was because the essay she submitted exemplifies how her bilingualism inspires her on her journey to become an educator.
"'Bilingualism is my Superpower' is a saying that was shared with me during the NABE Award ceremony," Cabrera said. "Being bilingual is my superpower because it has expanded my horizons and I can express myself in two languages."
While an undergraduate at UC Riverside, Cabrera was a student intern, which allowed her to see the important work dual language educators perform.
"I was drawn to UC Irvine’s MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching + Credential) program because of the strong display of camaraderie and the practical experience I would gain in dual language classes," she said. "The program has equipped me with knowledge of theories and practices that have given me the confidence to be an excellent educator. Now, I am one step closer to fulfilling my aspirations of being a bilingual educator."
Also in March, BAP coordinator Susan Guilfoyle was selected as the Principal of the Day at Ralph A. Gates Elementary school in Lake Forest, Calif. The Spanish dual language immersion school currently has 13 alumni on staff.
This is an exciting year for our educators, and we are incredibly proud of Natalie, Caroline, Dante and Susan for their commitment, passion, and impact in the field of bilingual education!
A special congratulations to Natalie Cabrera, who has also been awarded the NABE Teacher Scholarship by the National Association for Bilingual Education—an honor given to just one educator nationwide each year. Natalie is also the first-ever recipient from UC Irvine’s Bilingual Authorization Program (BAP) to receive this prestigious award, a testament to her dedication to advancing bilingual education and student success.
Cabrera believes that the reason she was selected was because the essay she submitted exemplifies how her bilingualism inspires her on her journey to become an educator.
"'Bilingualism is my Superpower' is a saying that was shared with me during the NABE Award ceremony," Cabrera said. "Being bilingual is my superpower because it has expanded my horizons and I can express myself in two languages."
While an undergraduate at UC Riverside, Cabrera was a student intern, which allowed her to see the important work dual language educators perform.
"I was drawn to UC Irvine’s MAT (Master of Arts in Teaching + Credential) program because of the strong display of camaraderie and the practical experience I would gain in dual language classes," she said. "The program has equipped me with knowledge of theories and practices that have given me the confidence to be an excellent educator. Now, I am one step closer to fulfilling my aspirations of being a bilingual educator."
Also in March, BAP coordinator Susan Guilfoyle was selected as the Principal of the Day at Ralph A. Gates Elementary school in Lake Forest, Calif. The Spanish dual language immersion school currently has 13 alumni on staff.
This is an exciting year for our educators, and we are incredibly proud of Natalie, Caroline, Dante and Susan for their commitment, passion, and impact in the field of bilingual education!
