Buffalo State education student receives national leadership award
Hailee Cipollina, graduate assistant for the School of Education and Applied Professions, was recently awarded the NASUP Emerging Leader Award at the annual National Association for School University Partnerships conference in Washington, D.C. The award recognizes student members who demonstrate promise as leaders in the school-university partnership movement both through their work with NASUP and at their home institutions.
As an undergraduate major in childhood and special education major and a current graduate student in the special education: early childhood education program, Cipollina is known as an outstanding scholar, dedicated emerging teacher, and engaged member of the Buffalo State Professional Development Partnerships Consortium. In nominating Cipollina for this honor, Pixita del Prado Hill, director of PDP and professor of elementary education, literacy, and educational leadership, highlighted Cipollina’s strong work ethic, enthusiasm, and broad set of skills, all of which have made her an invaluable contributor to the PDP in her roles as both as an undergraduate student representative and graduate assistant.
“Hailee holds herself to exceptionally high standards as both a learner and as a professional,” said del Prado Hill. “She has been an excellent student and campus citizen, and the School of Education and Applied Professions is proud to see a student of her caliber enter the classroom as a teacher who is prepared to support and inspire all children.”
Del Prado Hill said that Cipollina has emerged as a student leader and mentor known for her vision, creativity, advocacy, and ability to expand the possibilities of student involvement at Buffalo State. She supports the Bengals Passionate About Education (BPE) organization, introduced the concept of Collaborative Conversations to the annual PDP conference, and participates in service-learning initiatives across WNY as well as internationally. She has also been invited to serve on numerous panels to recruit high school students into teaching, recruits teacher candidates for IPDP programs, and has conducted and presented research at several local and national conferences. An avid traveler, Cipollina has participated in two international PDP programs to the Dominican Republic and Zambia. She now serves as an IPDP ambassador and member of the advisory committee, bringing the student perspective and voice to the development of these regarded programs.
“Winning the Emerging Leader Award is incredibly meaningful to me,” Cipollina said. “I have such a passion for teaching and have always strived to cultivate strong leadership skills. I am honored that others have recognized my dedication, and I am truly grateful to Dr. del Prado Hill for nomination and support.”
Pictured: Hailee Cipollina with Pixita del Prado Hill.
