alumni
Recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of our alumni
Meet the 2025 Alumni Awards Recipients!
The College of Education presents the Distinguished Education Alumni Awards to honor alumni for their significant professional achievements. This award represents the highest recognition from the College of Education, celebrating the career and personal accomplishments of our alumni that positively reflect on Purdue University, the field of education, and society as a whole. The criteria for this award are intentionally broad to encompass the diverse paths our alumni may take in their lives.
We appreciate your time and effort in submitting a nomination for the Distinguished Education Alumni Award. If you have any questions, please contact Erin Perdue.
The College of Education is proud to present the Early Career Alumni Award, which recognizes the outstanding professional achievements of our alumni within the first ten years of their careers. This award celebrates significant milestones and accomplishments that positively reflect Purdue University, the field of education, and society as a whole. The Early Career Alumni Award will be presented during the Education Appreciation and Alumni Awards event. This award aims to be inclusive, acknowledging the diverse career paths and impactful contributions our alumni make early in their professional journeys.
We appreciate your time and effort in submitting a nomination for the Early Career Alumni Award. If you have any questions, please contact Erin Perdue.
Please note – nominees not approved will be kept on file to use for other department awards made throughout the academic year and/or next year’s alumni awards ceremony.
Jeni Arndt
Mayor of Fort Collins, CO
“You think about the land-grant mission and you think about public education and it being a great equalizer of opportunity, so those are the ideas and ideals that I bring with me to the work I do. I want to thank Purdue and President Lincoln and all the great traditions of this University – I’m honored.”
Kay Tesmer Hayes
Administrator and Elementary Teacher, Carroll County, MD
“When I chose Purdue it was always with the intent to be an elementary school teacher. Each child has value, has unique gifts and talents to share, deserves the opportunity to grow socially, emotionally and academically, and feels the excitement and joy of learning.”
Jason A. Ware
Clinical Associate Professor in Purdue’s John Martinson Honors College, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
“I certainly want to thank my family, my wife and my children. They are the center of my life. I’m thankful for my journey in the College of Education, I’m thankful to my family, and I’m thankful to all those who had an amazing impact on my life. If I am distinguished, it’s because of those who poured in to me.”
He is married to fellow awardee Sharita A. Ware.
Sharita A. Ware
Engineering and Technology Education Teacher, Tippecanoe County School Corporation, Lafayette, IN; 2022 Indiana Teacher of the Year
“I think about what my students would enjoy, how it will progress my students further down the line, and I come in and do that every day. I wanted to make a difference, I wanted to reach those students who were hard to reach.”
She is married to fellow awardee Jason A. Ware.