Dr. Shelley Kokorudz

In 2023 the BU Alumni Association Excellence in Teaching award was presented to Dr. Shelley Kokorudz, an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology & Student Services in the Faculty of Education at BU.

Dr. Kokorudz, who has been an educator since graduating with her Bachelor of Education degree in 1985, has since earned a master’s degree from BU and has also taught every grade from Grade 2 to Grade 12, as well as serving as a principal.

For the past 10 years she has been at BU, and is very involved with BU’s PENT program, focusing on the education of Indigenous pre-service teachers.

Dr. Kokorudz, a strong advocate for inclusion of all learners, has a passion that reflects her desire to see all students be excited about learning by focusing on the abilities and interests of all learners. This excitement begins with compassionate, confident teachers who believe in children and work to inspire them through their commitment to excellence. She remains faithful to the development of ‘teacher heroes’ who teach ‘outside’ ordinary boxes because there is no such thing as an ‘ordinary’ child.

An accomplished Western Style horse trainer and rider who competes professionally, she has welcomed students to her acreage for horseback riding and conversation. She has also developed a new elective PENT course that is focused on nature-based learning. It will create space for “land-based education” and is designed to help both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students in connecting with and learning from Mother Earth.