TARIAT Conference

Ashlie Crosson, the 2025 National Teacher of the Year, serves as an English teacher at Pennsylvania’s Mifflin County High School, where she aims to prepare her students to navigate the complexities of our global society. Crosson believes in building a strong curriculum that develops communication skills, empowers students to solve problems and expands their worldview. Crosson teaches Advanced Placement language and composition, English 10 and Survival Stories, an elective that approaches global humanitarian crises from a youth perspective. She also advises the journalism program, which publishes the school newspaper and district magazine.
Crosson received her master’s degree in educational leadership at Penn State University and a gifted endorsement from Millersville University. In 2018, she became a Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms fellow. She says the fellowship transformed her pedagogy, helping her to reframe curricula around competencies that empower students’ voices.
As a first-generation college student, Crosson found that teachers and counselors were essential to her success. She says their support inspired her to become an educator, so she could give to another generation what had been given to her. Crosson has expanded opportunities for her colleagues and students, such as launching MC Goes Global, an international travel program to enhance student learning opportunities. In class, her students can be found researching the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and building websites as often as they are reading novels and writing papers.
Crosson strives to create learning experiences that resonate with her students, foster empathy and build critical thinking skills. By advising the journalism program, Crosson has positively influenced her students’ academic and career opportunities. Many in the program have found success beyond high school and are now editors for college media, interns at television stations and writers for regional newspapers.
As the 2025 National Teacher of the Year, Crosson will spend a year representing educators and serving as an ambassador for the teaching profession.

Tiffani Jaseph is a dedicated special education professional who has been a teacher for 15 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education and a Master of Arts in special education, both from the University of Arizona. Driven by her deep passion for children, Jaseph began her career in general education. However, she quickly discovered her true calling in special education.

Jaseph has taught in three Arizona school districts. In the Sunnyside Unified School District, she taught in an extended-day special education program for 4th and 5th graders, providing specially designed instruction in her classroom while also supporting students’ needs in the general education environment. In Yuma, Arizona, she taught in a special education resource setting, facilitating intervention groups for students from K-6th grade. Currently, Jaseph teaches at Copper View Elementary School in Sahuarita, Arizona, where she focuses on accommodating students with higher support needs. She is committed to including her students in the general education environment whenever possible, while also ensuring her classroom is accessible for both academic and social-emotional needs. Her classroom emphasizes inclusive, strengths-based instruction tailored to diverse learning styles. At Copper View, Jaseph has earned the honor of being named site Teacher of the Year and has also been a finalist for District Teacher of the Year.
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Juliana Urtubey, NBCT is the 2021 National Teacher of the Year. She advocates for a “joyous and just” education for all students. Known as “Ms. Earth” for her efforts to beautify schools and unify the community through murals and gardens, Juliana uses her experiences as a bilingual special education teacher to build holistically inclusive environments for all. Juliana currently leads professional development for educators in Arizona and is the beloved Ms. Appleberry on the early childhood learning show, CoCoMelon Classroom.