OREGON, Ill. (WTVO) — Kim Radostits, a Spanish teacher at Oregon High School, made a visit to the White House on Monday.

She was named the Illinois Teacher of the Year in March 2022.

Radostits helped develop a program that connects students at risk of not graduating high school with mentors, which was shown to have increased graduation rates.

Today, Radostits and her fellow teachers were honored by President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona at a National Teacher of the Year event.

“It’s just a wonderful day, where I felt so valued as a teacher. And super honored to have this opportunity to be celebrated in the profession. And I do believe one of the best ways to elevate the teaching profession is to celebrate the profession. And, so, I’m glad I had the opportunity to do that with my colleagues today,” she said.

Radostits did not win National Teacher of the Year. That honor went to a math teacher from Oklahoma.