Educators hope to grow their impact with each graduating class. Full-circle moments often take years to realize, but 2025 Iowa Teacher of the Year Melanie Bloom (’01, ’08) believes in the power of mentorship.
A "magical conversation” she had with an FFA leader during high school led Bloom to later establish Sioux Central Community School District’s first full-time agriculture program. Now, some of her former students, like Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Clay County staffer Michele Hogrefe (’11), are professionals in the field.
“I’ve been around long enough to be able to influence [Michele], and now she’s influencing my kids,” Bloom says. “It’s been amazing to watch.”
Hogrefe, who wrote a letter supporting Bloom’s award nomination, was thrilled to see her mentor recognized in such a major way. Established in 1958 through an appropriation from the Iowa legislature, the Iowa Teacher of the Year award comes with a service term that releases the teacher from classroom responsibilities for an academic year. Honorees serve as ambassadors for their profession, helping the Iowa Department of Education host an Emerging Educators Academy, traveling for speaking engagements in districts across the state, and participating in workshops and celebrations. They even visit Space Camp and the White House.
While Iowa State graduates account for around 15 percent of active public school teachers in the state of Iowa, ISU alumnae recently reeled off a streak of three awards in a row. Before Bloom, Ann Mincks (‘07) was honored in 2024, and Krystal Colbert (‘07) in 2023.
Iowa State School of Education Director Ann Gansemer-Topf (‘92, ‘04) believes several advantages help ISU alumni stand out among their peers. Many Cyclones build a teaching portfolio as undergraduates, with lesson plans and projects that demonstrate in-demand skills. Faculty with current classroom, research, and ed-tech experience foster collaboration, while students also benefit from the expansive resources at ISU.
“We live our mission of empowering educators through evidence-based practice,” Gansemer-Topf says. “One of our hallmarks is that we get our students out in the classroom early and often, so they can integrate methods they are learning into their teaching.”
Connecting Real Life Experiences
Storytelling is embedded in Melanie Bloom’s teaching practice. Students who might struggle with a textbook definition of an animal’s “flight zone” remember her cautionary tale about a cow kicking a gate — straight into her face.
“When you make it personal and human, kids connect to that so much better than just me telling them, ‘You need to be careful working with animals,’” Bloom says.
That’s the approach she appreciated at Iowa State, where she was riveted by the relatable stories that peppered lectures in Dr. Richard Wilhelm’s livestock heritage class. Bloom’s equally passionate about inquiry-led student experiences.
“As an ag teacher, I have to be a jack of all trades,” she says. “I really can’t master any, except for maybe classroom facilitation.”
Bloom calls resources developed by the Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education project “rocket fuel” that propelled her teaching to new levels. The emphasis on hands-on learning influenced her to create a World Food Prize-inspired global grains project. Students research and grow commodities not typically seen in Iowa, like teff and sorghum.
She wants her Sioux Central High School students to see themselves as problem-solvers, and — potentially — Iowa Staters. Trips to campus include a stop at Kildee Hall, which holds memories from many of the classes she attended for her degrees in animal and life sciences and agricultural education. Bloom remembers her initial intimidation upon entering an auditorium filled with hundreds of students after graduating from a class of 26.
“Yes, there’s a lot of people, but that just meant that there were a lot more people like me that I got to find,” Bloom says. “I keep telling kids that, within two or three weeks, campus shrank down to the people that I saw in classes all the time, or the clubs and activities I was in.”
Broadening Her Impact
Although raised in a family of educators, Ann Mincks didn’t see herself becoming a teacher. She arrived at Iowa State undeclared, then sought classes and extracurricular activities that would help her discover her passions. Landing a campus job with the ISU Writing and Media Center proved a “pivotal” opportunity to define her professional goals.
“I had the opportunity to work with a lot of international students at the writing center,” Mincks says. She also studied in Spain to broaden her horizons. “Realizing that I really enjoyed teaching and learning from students all over the world, I was starting to carve my path into English Language Learner Education.”
Mincks, who was recognized in 2024 for her work as an ELL teacher for Des Moines Public Schools, approached her service as Teacher of the Year with the same intentionality she demonstrated as an undergrad. Her appointment coincided with the 50th anniversary of the landmark Lau v. Nichols Supreme Court ruling, which advanced the fight for equal education for students with limited English proficiency.
During visits to dozens of rural, suburban, and urban districts in all regions of the state, Mincks conducted an informal landscape analysis of current services for Iowa’s 40,000 multilingual learners.
“I wanted to explore whether, 50 years later, all students are receiving the resources and supports they need to be successful,” Mincks says. She looked for bright spots and areas that needed growth.
Mincks says her experiences inspired a desire to do more systemic work. She recently transitioned to a program coordinator role for English for Speakers of Other Languages within West Des Moines Community Schools.
“After having that year of interacting with state- and federal-level administrators, I was really excited about that sense of agency I had to impact at the district level.”
Leading Young Leaders
Elementary educator Krystal Colbert admits: She used to be terrified of public speaking. A summer speech course helped her gain confidence. It also introduced her to her future husband, Jason Colbert (‘07, ‘11), a fellow Cyclone who asked to borrow a pencil on their first day.
“Somehow, I survived the class, and Jason won me over,” Colbert says.
As 2023 Iowa Teacher of the Year, she put her public speaking skills to use in a major way. When it came time to outline her professional platform, she began jotting down key lessons inspired by her time at Iowa State and during her first few years in the classroom.
Growth mindset. Relationships. All means all. Celebrate. Evolve as a teacher. An acronym — G.R.A.C.E. — emerged from the brainstorm, surfacing a message she’s carried since she was a student.
“I remember my professor saying, ‘No one expects you to go out there and be perfect your first few years of teaching — or ever,’” Colbert says. “That has always stuck with me: This idea of giving grace to ourselves, giving grace to the people we work with, giving grace to our students and their families.”
Colbert continues to share this message with the ISU student teachers whom she mentors. Her second grade students at Mitchellville Elementary hear it, too. They offer each other guidance while building prototypes for a STEM Challenge and other collaborative projects.
“We don’t have just one teacher; we have 24 teachers in our classroom,” Colbert says. “They have really embraced that way of thinking. When students are able to share their thinking and learning, it helps me understand whether they’ve got that skill down. They’re helping their friends hear it in a different way.”
