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Vesna Dimitrieska, Director of Global ºÚÂí´ÅÁ¦ Initiatives at the IU School of ºÚÂí´ÅÁ¦, was recently honored with two major awards in her field.

The , an annual award for exemplary educator preparation in the intercultural, global, cross-cultural and international arenas, was given to Dimitrieska as recognition for the uniqueness of K-16 Global ºÚÂí´ÅÁ¦ Initiatives Across Indiana, jointly organized by the School of ºÚÂí´ÅÁ¦ and the . The initiative just wrapped up an institute on sustainable development for teachers last October.

She was also honored with the , an award reserved for individuals who have demonstrated outstanding support of early second language learning of languages other than English. Dimitrieska will give the keynote address at NNELL’s annual meeting on December 12.

“Receiving national recognition from both of these entities has shown me that the work that I do with and for K-12 teachers across Indiana is meaningful and makes a difference for those teachers and their students. I am very honored to be acknowledged in this way,” Dimitrieska said.

“Being globally ready is no longer a matter of choice but an immediate need,” she added. “As educators, we have the ultimate responsibility to prepare our students for the realities and challenges that affect our local communities while at the same time raise their awareness about how those are connected to the rest of the world. As Shari Becker Albright stated, ‘What we call global education, the rest of the world calls education.’ This is why there is an urgent need for incorporating intentional global learning experiences across the content areas and grade levels.”