Hands-on learning, connections drive award-winning Warhawk’s passion for teaching
October 13, 2026
Written by Lalaina Chandanais | Photos by Craig Schreiner, submitted
From a young age, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student Elizabeth Toffel knew that education was her calling.
“It all started in first grade,” she said. “I got close with my teacher, and we became pen pals after the school year ended. I saved all of her letters.”
Toffel, an elementary/middle education and art education dual major with a STEAM/STEM middle level emphasis from Wilmot, Wisconsin, is a prime example of how asking for what you want and not backing away from what you are passionate about can allow you to succeed. In recognition of her efforts, Toffel earned the 2026 Wisconsin Art Education Association (WAEA) Pre-Service Art Educator of the Year Award last spring.
Toffel’s teacher going the extra mile to connect inspired her desire to become a teacher. She decided that she wanted to foster curiosity in the same way and see her own students’ faces light up when they have “lightbulb moments.”
Early teaching experience
During her time as a student at Wilmot Union High School, Toffel had the opportunity to participate in a program where she could visit Wheatland Elementary, a local school, and gain hands-on experience working with students in a classroom setting. Her desire to pursue a teaching degree was further solidified as she looked toward college.
“I chose UW-Whitewater because it was so close to home, and affordability was also a factor. Plus, I knew they had an art education program,” said Toffel.
Even though Toffel’s main focus when beginning her studies was art education, it became clear to her professors that her strong math skills would make her a great tutor for the university’s Campus Tutorial Services.
In the fall of 2023, she began tutoring for many levels of math courses, such as Math 139, 148, and 149. Toffel emphasized how the importance in her tutoring work lies in her ability to work with and guide students, rather than immediately knowing the answers to their questions.
“I am learning alongside the students, and that is what tutoring is all about,” said Toffel. “We are always learning and growing no matter what age we are.”
Her research journey
During the 2026 spring semester, Toffel took on an undergraduate research opportunity that focused on how building an environment that emphasizes both care and student autonomy can influence a classroom setting. “When I first became a research apprentice, I knew I wanted to focus on giving students autonomy in their learning rather than telling them what to learn,” said Toffel.
Elizabeth Toffel, at left, with faculty mentor Verónica Soria-Martínez at UW-Whitewater’s Undergraduate Research, Innovative, and Creative Activities (URiCA) Symposium, on April 23, 2026. (submitted photo)
Verónica Soria-Martínez, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction, was Toffel’s mentor for her project, and the data acquired from Soria-Martínez’s educational methods courses were used in the research, along with direct student feedback and experiential reflections. Toffel’s project was an extension of Soria-Martinez’s own research project with her colleague, Adam Schafer, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction.
Toffel’s project, “Investigating Care as a Partnership with Students: Bringing Back Joy in Learning through a Sense of Belonging,” was one of 12 projects to receive a poster award at UW-Whitewater’s Undergraduate Research Day. Soria-Martinez’s research went on to be presented at the March 2026 National Art Education Association (NAEA) Conference in Chicago, and Toffel accompanied her.
Toffel is continuing her research into this academic year with a new project titled “Investigating Care as a Partnership with Students to Foster a Sense of Belonging.” She is set to present this continuation of her research at the October 2026 WAEA Conference in Waunakee, Wisconsin.
Strong connections support success
In May of 2026, Toffel received the WAEA Pre-Service Art Educator of the Year Award, an accolade that recognizes extensive preservice experience within art education in Wisconsin.
Toffel’s preservice consisted of many different outstanding moments, including her volunteer work at both the WAEA Youth Art Month and Visual Arts Classic events, her development of curriculum published in the Online Curriculum Portfolio of the Caucus of Social Theory in Art Education, and, of course, her exceptional undergraduate research project.
Elizabeth Toffel, an elementary and middle school education and art education major from Burlington, tutors students in math at the Chrisman Success Center. The air is crisper and the leaves are changing colors as fall comes to campus on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (UW-Whitewater photo/Craig Schreiner)
One preservice experience that particularly stood out to Toffel was her Community-based Learning work at the Fort Atkinson Club art workshop participants. Through both of Soria-Martínez’s art methods courses, Toffel was given the opportunity to encourage people of all ages to express their creativity in six different meetings over the course of two semesters. Participants produced art of many different mediums, including air dry clay, watercolor paints, and printmaking.
Toffel earning the award was unsurprising to those who have worked with her.
Soria-Martínez was Toffel’s mentor, advisor, and confidant for a large portion of her college career. It was Toffel’s ability to see learning as reciprocal and ever-growing that stood out to Soria-Martínez as she progressed through her undergraduate coursework.
“Elizabeth is very thorough and conscientious in the preparation and planning of her classes. She anticipates ways in which she can provide materials to include all the learners in her class,” said Soria-Martínez. “She is positive, hard-working and extremely organized. Her care and drive to develop knowledge are a big inspiration!”
Toffel often expresses how her close relationship with her mentor has made her feel consistently supported and cared for.
“She is very flexible, very understanding, and just overall a wonderful human being,” said Toffel. “I jokingly call her my ‘college mom.’”
A legacy for future art education students
After attending the national conference, Toffel, along with Krista Olson, a student in the professional studies master’s program, were inspired to kickstart a new student organization on campus: UW-Whitewater Preservice Chapter of the National Art Education Association.
“Elizabeth and more students were curious about how to gain access to the opportunities and resources a NAEA preservice chapter could provide,” said Soria-Martínez. “We learned about how student organizations provide funds and opportunities for students. Then, it took people with Elizabeth’s and Krista’s enthusiasm and drive to make it happen.”
Even going into her final year of her major, Toffel is committed to making the most of the chapter’s beginnings. They will get started right away, meeting on campus in the Center of the Arts on Tuesdays.
“There was already a nice student handbook through the NAEA on how to organize a chapter,” said Toffel. “We don’t have any members, but we have to start somewhere!”
