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Denton, TX - The UNT College of Education brought students, alumni, educators and supporters together for the 2026 STAR Celebration, recognizing the people and partnerships helping students succeed.

STAR, which stands for Special Thanks and Recognition, celebrates students, alumni, friends, faculty and staff who contribute to the college and its mission. Supporters helped the college award 293 scholarships totaling more than $667,000 to 157 students to help cover tuition, books and supplies.

“To me, STAR is about people investing in people and taking time to say thank you,” Dean Angie Cartwright said. “To our donors, your support is much more than a financial investment. You are investing in students and in what they will go on to do in schools, communities, organizations and professions throughout North Texas and beyond.”

The celebration also recognized Region 10 and Region 11 Teacher of the Year honorees and highlighted UNT alumni making an impact in schools and communities.

A panel featuring four members of the College of Education community explored how education, support and relationships shaped their paths. Panelists included longtime college supporter Cynthia Hawkins-Bowland, recent graduate Shelby Redondo-Macon, Red Oak ISD's 2025-26 District Teacher of the Year Hannah Schweiger and current doctoral student Dawn Rice.

Schweiger encouraged future teachers to prioritize relationships with their students.

“Know your students, build those relationships starting day one,” she said. “You’ll have so much more buy-in when they believe in you, not as an authority figure in front of them, but as a human person who cares about them.”

She also encouraged educators to be willing to adapt.

“Education changes, your kids change,” she said. “Adapting isn’t failing. It’s adjusting to the situation that’s in front of you and growing from it as well.”

For Redondo-Macon, early field experience helped her discover that her career would take her outside the classroom. After changing her focus from elementary education to human development and family studies, she completed an internship with United Way of Denton County that led to a career with the organization.

“I’m so grateful the College of Education had built out an early experience for me because then I was able to find out freshman year that I wasn’t meant for the classroom,” she said.

Dawn Rice emphasized the importance of building relationships and remaining open to opportunities throughout college. Her connection with the North Star Writing Project introduced her to UNT and helped shape her decision to pursue doctoral studies in curriculum and instruction, language and literacy.

“The connections you make ... can take you so many places,” she said. 

Dawn Rice also experienced STAR from the perspective of a scholarship recipient, receiving four scholarships the previous year. That support, along with the relationships she has developed at UNT, has helped her continue working toward her goal of influencing how writing is taught, learned and valued.

“It was such a wonderful evening and a time to be able to just say thank you,” she said on attending STAR as a scholarship recipient.

For Cynthia Hawkins-Bowland, giving back grew from her own experience at UNT. Her path through college was not always straightforward, but after leaving the university, she returned, made the dean’s list and continued her studies in the College of Education. The friendships and memories she made at UNT continued to influence her long after graduation. That connection eventually inspired Cynthia Hawkins-Bowland to establish a scholarship and help create opportunities for future students.

“I’m so glad so many people are going to benefit from this,” she said, “and it will continue to benefit not just them but their children as well.”

With perspectives spanning current students, graduates, educators and supporters, the panel reflected the broader purpose of STAR: recognizing the relationships and investments that help students succeed.

Their experiences showed how that investment can extend beyond a scholarship or degree, influencing classrooms, careers, families and communities.

See more moments from the 2026 STAR celebration below!

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