Today is my final day with EdNC. 

When I started this job in December of 2014, EdNC was just an idea. There was no guarantee we would still exist in one year, much less 8+.

At the most, I assumed I would be at the organization for three years before moving on to something different. 

But what I found in EducationNC was more than just a job. It was a family. And it was a mission.

Public education is the foundation of North Carolina. As a long-time North Carolina resident who spent much of his formative life in public education, I was built upon that foundation.

As a reporter for EdNC, I was allowed to keep North Carolina residents with a stake in education — which is all of us — in the loop about what was going on in this, the most important issue.

I learned a lot. Mostly about what I didn’t know.

And I discovered that when you get beyond politics and ideology, education for most people is personal. It’s about parents and children. It’s about teachers and students. It’s about the future at the most intimate level.

I grew to understand more, not just about education, but about what it means to be human. It was a privilege. 

I want to thank my readers for sticking with me all of these years. I want to thank all of the education leaders and experts and teachers and students who helped me to do my job.

But most of all I want to thank my colleagues at EdNC, both current and past.

And in particular, I want to thank Mebane Rash: a fearless leader who became the best boss I ever had. Though she refused to call herself that.

I stayed, most of all, because of her. Because I believed in her. Because I trusted her. And because I could, without any doubts, follow her.

You should too. 

Thank you for all of these years. 

Sincerely,

Alex