Kirsten Mulligan said the recognition is humbling, and while she is most certainly honored by her selection as the inaugural recipient of
Vandegrift’s ‘Change our School’ award, the longtime VHS English teacher also downplayed any signi cant di erence between her and her peers at
the Leander ISD school.
“I just do what I do. I don’t know any other way to be. It’s who I am,” said Mulligan.
Of the students who recognized her in a loud, raucous ceremony capped o by a dance contest between classes, Mulligan said, “They
see bigger things that matter more than grades or AP tests. Those things are important, and they’re a part of what makes our school great, but that’s
not really what it is — it’s our ‘mojo’ that makes Vandegrift awesome.