MC Alumna Kara Ball ’06 Defies the Odds To Receive the 2025 Bezos Courage & Civility Award

Montgomery College Alumna Kara Ball (’06) developed a passion for special education from her experiences as a student with learning differences. As a child growing up in Montgomery County, Ball was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyscalculia, a condition that causes difficulty performing arithmetical calculations. She relied heavily on the advocacy of her parents and grandparents, who sought tutors to help her overcome her learning challenges.

Despite her hardship, Ball loved teaching. Aspiring to be an educator like her grandmother, she would play “teacher” growing up, often stealing her grandmother’s classroom worksheets to lecture her siblings in their basement: “When people were pretending to play doctor or nurse, I would pretend to be teaching,” Ball said.

Today, Ball is a nationally recognized educator and leader in STEM, inclusive learning, and inquiry-based education, which is a student-centered learning approach focused on engagement and active learning. She serves as an academic officer at Teacher Created Materials new window, is a professor of education, and a Ph.D. candidate in STEM education.

In 2018, she was named a State Teacher of the Year and was one of four finalists for National Teacher of the Year. She was also recently selected as a recipient of the 2025 Bezos Courage & Civility Award, given by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos. As part of the award, she directed $5 million to Understood.org new window, a nonprofit supporting 70 million people who have learning and thinking differences, such as ADHD and dyslexia.

Behind these achievements, Ball experienced a defining chapter in career development and learning at Montgomery College (MC). She credits her time at MC for influencing not only her career path, but also her belief in equity, access, and the power of education.

Ball’s experience at MC began in the winter of 2004, after an injury that brought her field hockey career at Frostburg University to an unexpected end. As a working student enrolled in the MC Elementary Education/Elementary Special Education AAT program, she balanced employment with her studies, an experience that reinforced her commitment to accessible education and student support. 

Ball recalls the lasting impact Montgomery College professors had on her education: “Some of the best professors I’ve ever had were at Montgomery College,” she said. Professor Diane Switlick stood out as a particularly valuable mentor; she encouraged Ball to apply for Towson University’s Dual Certification program in elementary and special education. Thanks to her guidance, Ball became part of the program’s inaugural graduating class.

MC also provided Ball with her first teaching position through the College’s Student Teaching Experience Program. She was assigned as an intern at Beverly Farms Elementary School in Potomac, Maryland, where she later returned to teach after graduation. She was awarded the Education Program award at MC in recognition of her work, which was “a defining moment” in her life, reinforcing her belonging in educational spaces and affirming her decision to pursue a career in education.

Though Ball landed a job while at MC, she still had to take out student loans to pay for her education, which she is still paying off.

Ball hopes that her story inspires more young people who struggle with learning differences to rise above the challenges and succeed.

“Find the community, find the people who are alike and think like you,” she said. "It becomes easier when you know there are more people who feel the same as you, which makes you feel seen and a part of something bigger. Find the adults and the teachers who can advocate for you.”