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This article appears in the Fall 2025 issue of the Dominican University Magazine.
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The winner of the prestigious 2025 Golden Apple Award, Mahoney was recognized for her approach to educating students about civics and government.

A teacher at Lake View High School in Chicago, Mahoney was one of 11 teachers in Illinois to receive the award, which honors educators who make lasting impacts on their students’ lives and learning.

The Golden Apple Foundation noted that Mahoney “creates a classroom environment where her students don’t just study government; they actually experience it.”

This is achieved, in part, through her work with Project Soapbox, a public speaking program designed by the Mikva Challenge, where students research, write and deliver speeches on issues that matter to them.

Mahoney also helps students connect with Chicago elected officials through the Next Gen City Council Program. Here, students research issues and draft proposals for new policies, with one presented to the Chicago City Council. Mahoney credits her Dominican graduate school education for preparing her for the classroom.

“The tight community and support of the Dominican staff and students was incredibly valuable for me,” she said. “From advisors, to professors, and fellow classmates, there was always someone who could support you in your journey.”

A first-generation American who is passionate about language learning, Bellot-Donaldson says her role as a third-grade Spanish immersion teacher in Louisville, Kentucky, is the perfect fit. It’s also earned her the 2025 Southern Conference on Language Teaching Regional Teacher of the Year Award, and the 2024 Kentucky World Language Association (KWLA) Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award. She’s now competing for the National World Languages Teacher of the Year Award from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

The KWLA described Bellot-Donaldson as “a tireless advocate for her multilingual students” and someone who “exemplifies what it means to be an outstanding educator.”

“Dominican University was the first step in my educational journey,” she said. “I took night classes during my first two years of teaching to earn my alternate teaching certificate and my bilingual endorsement for teaching. … Being named Kentucky’s World Language Association Teacher of the Year would not be possible without the journey I began at Dominican.”

Dominican University partner Teach for America recognized Jamison-Dunn for her leadership as principal of Catalyst Circle Rock Charter School in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.

Jamison-Dunn was presented with the Zell Family Alumni School Leader of the Year Award, which honors a past Teach for America member who has “exemplified, shaped and maintained excellent practices in their school.”

Teach for America is a national nonprofit that places recent college graduates in teaching positions at underserved schools. The organization brought Jamison-Dunn to Catalyst Circle Rock Charter School as an eighth-grade teacher in 2007, and she became principal in 2015.

During her leadership, the school welcomed the Kehrein Center for the Arts and the Sistema Ravinia Auditorium, a 900-seat performing arts center that is home to the Circle Rockets, Catalyst’s student orchestra, and open to the surrounding community.

Through a partnership with Ravinia, the Circle Rockets receive instruments and musical training and perform at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park and around the city of Chicago.

A strong supporter of arts education, Jamison- Dunn also notes that Catalyst Circle Rock has seen growth in math and reading scores, and robotics and STEM clubs have opened doors to students to explore the sciences.

“The training I received from Dominican around instruction, curriculum and educational leadership is what I apply in my work today,” she said.

“There’s an emphasis on rigor and equity that we received at Dominican,” Jamison-Dunn continued. “And the mission and vision of Dominican is aligned with my personal mission and vision, so it was easy to apply the instruction to my everyday work.”

A U.S. history teacher and instructional coach at Maine South High School in Park Ridge, Biondo was named National History Day’s 2025 Teacher of the Year in the senior division.

The award recognizes one high school and one middle school teacher who demonstrate “a commitment to engaging students in historical learning,” the National History Day organization said.

Biondo was one of 71 educators nominated from across the country. Calling the recognition “truly a high point in my career,” Biondo, who majored in history, credits his Dominican education for instilling in him the teaching methodologies he has used in the classroom for more than 20 years.

“The core curriculum, university seminars and liberal arts philosophies of the university really taught me how to learn—and that translated into how to make connections for students,” Biondo explained. “I was able to help them build an understanding of key issues across disciplines, and how to engage in classes with curiosity.”

Biondo said he always knew he wanted to become a history teacher.

“I went to Dominican because of its great reputation as a school for future educators,” he said. “My professors provided so many opportunities to read deeply, to study primary sources, and to write long papers. They made sure that students learned the subject matter extensively, and that the knowledge of how to ‘do’ history was also a core component of courses.”

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