H-D-CAL Alumna Receives UNI Teaching Award

 Hampton native Emily Borcherding was one of two Iowa teachers to recently receive a prestigious teaching award from the University of Northern Iowa this year.

When asked about receiving the UNI Dr. Robert E. and Phyllis M. Yager Exemplary Teaching Recognition Award, Borcherding said she felt honored.

“It’s really neat that the faculty that taught me about teaching and followed my career were the ones to nominate me,” she said. “It just shows the impact they have on each generation and I hope to continue impacting my students and hope they go on to do great things. It shows how the education profession is all about trying to build each other up.”

The award was designed to honor UNI grads who have gone on to excel as K-12 teachers in Iowa. Borcherding will be honored for her award at a special ceremony at UNI on Oct. 31.

Borcherding, who was born and raised in Hampton, graduated from Hampton-Dumont High School in 2002. One of her first jobs as a teenager: working in the mailroom at the Hampton Chronicle. After graduating from high school, she obtained bachelor’s degrees in mathematics education and Spanish education from UNI in 2007, a master’s degree in education from UNI in 2012 and a doctorate in philosophy from Iowa State University in 2023.

She began her career in education as a graduate assistant at UNI in August of 2010, before working at the reading and learning center, student success and learning center and eventually as an adjunct professor at the university.

Eleven years later, in August of 2021, she transitioned over to Waterloo Community School District, where she’s taught students through their virtual academy for the last four years.

Although she loves her job now, she hopes to return to higher education someday down the road, she said.

“This has been a really good shaping experience for me,” she said of her work with the virtual academy in Waterloo. “All of the experiences I’ve had, from the print room until now, they’ve all brought me valuable lessons.”

This isn't the first award Borcherding has received for her excellent teaching. Last spring, she was one of ten teachers to receive the 2025 Gold Star Award from KWWL and the R.J. McElroy Trust Foundation.

Every year, the McElroy Trust, in conjunction with KWWL, honors ten outstanding educators with the Gold Star Award for outstanding teaching. Borcherding was selected from 785 nominations, receiving $1,000 in cash and $1,000 for her classroom.

"A student and her grandma nominated me for that award," she said. "For a lot of the students that I work with, school may not be the most positive thing in their life, but for them to see the value and take the time to do that, it was very meaningful."