(May 13, 2025, Golden, CO) Two Teach@Mines students, Dana Anderson and Colista Bird, were honored with the 2025 Future Educator Honor Roll distinction. Read more about these two students below.
Dana Anderson
Dana is a senior at the Colorado School of Mines studying engineering physics with a minor in teaching. She is pursuing licensure in both science and math to teach middle school STEM subjects. She is completing her final student teaching placement in a 6th-grade science classroom in the Summit School District. She loves being a part of this unique mountain community and works hard to meet the diverse needs of her students.
Dana’s journey into education began with outdoor youth programs, where she fell in love with sharing her passion for outdoor recreation with children. Through education courses in college, she realized she could also share her love for science in the classroom and was immediately hooked. Dana strives to be a catalyst for those “aha” moments that spark curiosity and confidence in students. To her, teaching is about fostering a love of learning and supporting the whole child. She emphasizes cross-subject skills to help students grow into lifelong investigators and learners.
Colista Bird
Colista Bird is a master’s student in education at the Colorado School of Mines, graduating in May 2025. Colista previously earned her undergraduate degree in 2022 from the University of Colorado in biochemistry and decided to take the teaching path after a brief stint in industry. Colista was born and raised in Colorado and enjoys the great outdoors. In her free time, Colista loves to read, hike, roller skate and watercolor paint. Her favorite books include Wild by Cheryl Strayed and The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. Colista is excited to become a secondary science teacher and share her love of science with the coming generations.