FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — A Theodore Roosevelt High School educator is being recognized by Yale University for her impact on students.

Mrs. Yadira Gonzalez has been named a recipient of the 2026 Yale Educator Award by the Yale Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

The honor is part of the Yale Educator Recognition Program, which recognizes educators worldwide who support and inspire students to perform at high levels and achieve excellence.

This year, Yale received 307 nominations representing 39 states and 20 countries.

From that group, the university selected 50 teachers and 17 counselors to receive the award. Matriculating students nominate high school educators, and a committee of Yale admissions officers reviews each nomination individually before designating recipients.

In September, winners were sent their awards along with congratulatory letters, and administrators at the recipients’ high schools were notified.

Yale describes itself as a top research university with a unique emphasis on undergraduate liberal arts education.

Yale College enrolls all 6,700 undergraduate students and offers more than 80 majors, along with hundreds of research opportunities.

Undergraduates come from all 50 states and more than 90 foreign countries, and more than 19% are expected to be the first in their families to complete a four-year degree.

Yale says it offers admission without regard to a student’s ability to pay and meets 100% of every student’s financial need with an award that does not include loans.

More than one in three incoming students will attend tuition-free. Yale reports that 64% of undergraduates receive financial assistance, and the university budgets more than $270 million annually for need-based financial aid.

The 1,652 members of the Yale Class of 2030 who began their first semester in August 2026 graduated from more than 1,200 different high schools.

Yale’s Admissions Office credited the strength of its student body to educators like the 2026 Yale Educator Award recipients, saying they shape students long before they arrive at the university, and said it is proud to thank the recipients and educators broadly for their efforts in motivating and supporting students.