A University of Central Arkansas alumna who also serves as an adjunct faculty member was recently selected as the 2022 Arkansas Computer Science Educator of the Year.
UCA alumna and adjunct faculty member Kimberly Raup was recently selected as the 2022 Arkansas Computer Science Educator of the Year.
Kimberly Raup, a three-time UCA graduate, received the award from Gov. Asa Hutchinson at the sixth annual Governor’s All-State Coding Competition. She had initially won $2,500 after being chosen as one of five finalists but was awarded an additional $12,500 from the Arkansas Department of Education’s Office of Computer Science when she was named the overall winner.
A teacher at Conway High School, Raup had previously been a finalist for the award in 2019, 2020 and 2021 before capturing top honors this year. In addition to her CHS teaching role, she is also an adjunct faculty member in the College of Education’s Department of Leadership Studies at UCA.
“I am very fortunate to receive this award,” Raup said. “We have amazing and talented computer science educators in Arkansas. Each one brings his or her own special and unique skills but everyone has the same goal of helping our students be successful. Computer Science is so much more than learning a programming language.”
Raup earned a bachelor’s in marketing from UCA in 1997 before returning to complete a bachelor’s in business technology in 2004. She finished her master’s in leadership studies with a focus on instructional technology at UCA in 2011.
“I am so proud of all of the students I have had over the years, both those who work in computer science fields and those who use their problem-solving skills in other professions,” Raup added. “As teachers, we work so hard to make a difference for our students, and it is extremely rewarding to be recognized for that devotion.”
By Philip Allison
