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Alumna recognized in State of the Union speech

Kristin Waters in classroom

DU alumna Kristin Waters was mentioned in President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech on Jan. 25. Photo: Justin Edmonds

Praising what he called “grassroots educational reform,” President Barack Obama recognized DU alumna Kristin Waters (PhD ’06) during his State of the Union speech last night.

Obama commended Waters for spearheading a metamorphosis that resulted in the turnaround of one of the state’s “worst” schools — with intense gang rivalries and on the verge of being closed — to a model school.

He noted that 97 percent of seniors at Denver’s Bruce Randolph School received their diplomas last year and that most of the students will be the first in their family to attend college. The overall graduation rate for Denver Public Schools is 76.9 percent.

Besides a high graduation rate, nearly 95 percent of Bruce Randolph’s graduating seniors were admitted to college.

Waters, who received a PhD in educational administration from DU’s Morgridge College of Education in 2006, told the Denver Post, “It is an inspiring story and shows that with the focus in the right places, kids can be successful.”

Waters left Bruce Randolph in 2009 and now serves as an instructional superintendent with Denver Public Schools guiding other high school principals in becoming better leaders.

Visit University of Denver Magazine for an in-depth profile of Waters.

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