CHADRON — Chadron State College’s Winter Commencement Speaker will be Dr. Hortensia Soto. Since 2020, Soto, a CSC Distinguished Young Alumni recipient, has been a professor of mathematics at Colorado State University and Graduate Director in the Department of Mathematics since 2023. The combined ceremony for undergraduates and graduates will be Friday, Dec. 12 at 2 p.m. in the Chicoine Center.

Originally from Morrill, Nebraska, Soto earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s in mathematics education from CSC. She earned an additional master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Arizona, and a doctorate in Educational Mathematics from the University of Northern Colorado.

Soto has promoted mathematics via summer outreach programs and frequently facilitates professional development for K-16 teachers, including in the Nebraska Panhandle.

She is a working member of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) where she has served as associate treasurer, associate secretary, president, and an editor of the MAA Instructional Practices Guide that provides national guidance for effective, research-informed mathematics teaching.

Soto began her career as an assistant and later associate professor of mathematics at Colorado State University–Pueblo from 1995 to 2005. She also taught 15 years at the University of Northern Colorado, advancing to full professor.

She has been recognized for excellence in teaching, mentorship, and service at the departmental, college, and national levels. Early in her career, she was honored with awards such as the Graduate Deans Citation for Excellence and the Most Supportive Faculty Award at CSU-Pueblo.

Recent highlights include a 2022 nomination for the CSU Alumni Association’s Best Teacher Award and the prestigious 2018 MAA Deborah and Franklin Tepper Haimo Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics. Additional honors include multiple outstanding faculty recognitions from student groups, residence life programs, and academic units.

Her contributions extend beyond the classroom into research mentorship and institutional service. She earned the College of Natural and Health Sciences’ Excellence in Faculty Research Mentor Award and the Excellence in Service Award at the University of Northern Colorado and the MAA Meritorious Service Award.

Soto also contributes to cross-institutional collaborations that investigate professional development opportunities for collegiate instructors and the role of teachers in supporting students’ reasoning.

Her research centers on the teaching and learning of K-16 mathematics and embraces a philosophy that claims learning is body-based. She has used this lens in teaching and researching the learning of applicable mathematical concepts.

She has written about 100 publications and delivered about 100 talks about her work nationally and internationally. Her early publications included studies on students’ geometric reasoning and expert conceptions of complex-valued functions. She has also published extensively about mathematics teacher education, pre-service teacher learning, technology-enhanced instruction, assessment practices, and initiatives supporting women in mathematics.

Soto’s 25 years of research centers on how students learn advanced mathematics through visualization, metaphor, and active learning. Her articles focus on deepening mathematical understanding through innovative modes of learning and improving mathematics education from the secondary level to undergraduate and teacher-preparation settings. Recent articles explore imaginative approaches to abstract algebra, and new frameworks in mathematical thinking.

Her extensive publications include recurring contributions to the MAA, as well as numerous peer-reviewed conference proceedings exploring embodied learning, teacher preparation, undergraduate mathematics education, and student engagement. She highlights collaborative partnerships, inclusive pedagogy, broadening participation in STEM, and innovative approaches to understanding and teaching mathematics.

In her free time, she enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, practicing yoga, meditating, and spending time with her son, Miguel.

Campus groups participate in community tradition

CHADRON — Four Chadron State College holiday trees are on display now through Dec. 23 at the Dawes County Courthouse. The Festival of Trees, open during regular courthouse hours, is organized by Discover Northwest Nebraska.

Campus organizations that decorated a tree for the exhibit include College Relations with ornaments by the Child Development Center students, The Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center, the Campus Activities Board, and Campus Ventures.

CAB required each campus club to participate in decorating ornaments at an event Nov. 17 co-hosted by the president’s office in Sparks Hall. According to CAB board member Taylor Neugebauer, many clubs had a few members decorate ornaments together.

An open house featuring the Festival of Trees will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday in conjunction with the Parade of Lights on Main Street at 6 p.m. The CSC Holiday Concert will begin at 7 p.m. in Memorial Hall’s Auditorium.

CDC Teacher Keri Ruff, said the children were enthusiastic about the request from College Relations to collaborate in the community event by creating ornaments.

“When I introduced the sweater ornaments to the kiddos, they were excited to decorate one,” Ruff said. “They started to share a lot of stories about their own Christmas sweaters. Some were even excited to ask their parents if they could get a Christmas sweater this year.”

Ruff said the project let students practice fine motor skills and express their creativity.

“I loved seeing each of them smile and laugh when they got to the step of adding their own face to the ornament,” she said. “I hope people who come to the courthouse to see this tree notice the joy and creativity the children put into their ornaments, and appreciate how each piece reflects their imagination and excitement for the season.”