In 1998, Kat Valdivia was in her first teaching experience, standing in front of a roomful of five-year-olds. She had trained for fifth grade. But a school needed a kindergarten teacher, and she was available and willing. "It was," she recalls, with a laugh, "a little terrifying." But it also turned out to be exactly where she was supposed to be.
Valdivia is still following that instinct — to go where she's needed, stay curious, and make learning matter — as the Education Program Director at Phoenix College (PC). She’s been working in and around classrooms for almost 30 years, shaping the teachers who will one day lead them. This year, a committee of her peers from across the college honored Valdivia with the 2026 Distinguished Teaching Award, expressing how much she deserved this honor. For Valdivia, hearing those words from the people she works alongside every day was its own kind of gift. "It humbled me," she says, "but it feels good to be recognized for something I've been doing for a long time."
Born to Teach
Valdivia grew up in Phoenix as the eldest of six children — a role that, as she says, gave her plenty of practice as a teacher. When her younger siblings didn't feel like being pupils, her stuffed animals were always ready to cooperate. Teaching, she says, was never really a decision. It was just who she was.
"I wanted to be a teacher as a young girl," she says. "It was a no-brainer. When I attended Phoenix College right out of high school, I already knew. It never crossed my mind to do anything else."
After earning her degree and beginning her classroom career in 1998, Valdivia taught kindergarten for five years before moving to second grade. When her daughter Kamila was born, she shifted to the Arizona Department of Education, where she immersed herself in professional development and training that deepened her thinking about teaching and learning. From there, she became a literacy coach — working with teachers rather than students — before a phone call changed the trajectory of her career once again.
A woman she had never met, who was directing the Education program at Phoenix College, had been given Valdivia's name by a mutual contact. She needed someone to teach EDU 221, an introduction to education course. Valdivia said yes. When that director moved to another college the following year, the director position opened up. Valdivia was in the right place at the right time. "I feel very blessed," she says.
The Class That Never Sits Still
Walk into one of Valdivia's classes at Phoenix College, and you will find students on their feet. Music might be playing. Someone will be finding a partner — one quizzing the other on learning theories, or last week's vocabulary.
Forged in a kindergarten classroom and refined over nearly three decades, "I haven't changed my vibe when it comes to classroom activities," Valdivia says. "Even adults still need to get up and move around, to share their thinking. I feel like students, at any age, learn better when they're engaged."
Tiffany Nieto, who first met Valdivia as a first-semester college student back in 2011, recalls being struck by her professor's energy. "Not once did I feel like I was sitting in a lecture," Nieto writes. "Every class was engaging, and the group activities allowed me to connect with my peers outside the classroom, making my college experience much more enjoyable." Today, Nieto works under Valdivia as a Field Experience Coordinator—a testament to Valdivia's mentorship.
Reading Faculty Michelle Meeks, who worked as an embedded tutor in Valdivia's classes early in her own career, says the impact of that experience has never faded. "The strategies and philosophy I learned from Kat have never left me," Meeks writes. "Whenever I feel frustrated, stuck, or need inspiration to reconnect with my students, I find myself asking: What would Kat do?"
Shaping the Next Generation of Educators
As Education Program Director, Valdivia holds a rare and multifaceted position. "Kat is the sole residential faculty member for an area that functions as a program, a degree path, and its own field of interest (FOI) area," says Reading Faculty Jeni Ussery. "She's incredibly busy, and yet her aptitude and support for students has never wavered."
The message Valdivia wants aspiring educators to internalize is simple but powerful: you can make your classroom whatever you want it to be. "Teaching can be fun," she tells them. "The type of teacher that you are is going to rule the classroom. You have the power to do that."
She also encourages new teachers to build their support systems early and to embrace growth as a career-long practice. "If there are any professional development opportunities, take them," she advises. "They've helped me get other positions. They gave me the language, the experience. They're what made me stand apart."
Still Learning, Still Moving Forward
Like any great teacher, Valdivia is as much a student as an instructor. The challenges she sees ahead — particularly the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education and what she describes as a troubling trend of students not completing their educational journeys — keep her thinking, adapting, and seeking better answers. "Education is always evolving," she says. "There are always new ways to support students. We're always moving toward something that's going to work for the next student who walks in with a special need."
This summer, she'll travel to Portugal — a well-earned adventure. Unsurprisingly, she also has a professional development opportunity lined up. Looking further ahead, she's open to wherever the next right-place-right-time moment might take her.
"Until I retire," she says, "I'm going to enjoy my years here at Phoenix College, do my best, and make that mark. I want students to remember me in a good way."
For the hundreds of students who have passed through her classroom — and the teachers now shaping classrooms of their own because of her — it seems safe to say: they already remember her in a good way.
Kat Valdivia is the Education Program Director at Phoenix College, where she teaches ESL, Reading, and Education courses. If interested in the Education program, check out the various associate degrees available.