The following is a press release from the UNC System
CHAPEL HILL, NC – The North Carolina Teaching Fellows Commission has named 110 individuals as the inaugural class of North Carolina Teaching Fellows. Following the program’s return last year, the Commission received 232 total applications and named approximately 150 semi-finalists. Teaching Fellows applicants were evaluated on the following measures: GPA, standardized test scores, leadership and experience, a written essay and mission statement, and for those moved forward as a semi-finalist, an in-person interview.
Teaching Fellows interviews were hosted by community college campuses at six different locations around the state: Cape Fear Community College (Wilmington), Beaufort County Community College (Washington), Wake Technical Community College (Raleigh), Forsyth Technical Community College (Winston-Salem), Central Piedmont Community College (Charlotte), and Haywood Community College (Clyde). Interview panelists included former Teaching Fellows and current educators, school administrators, business and community leaders, legislators, and North Carolina Teaching Fellows Commission members.
Those named as Fellows may attend any of the five institutions previously selected as a partner institution by the Teaching Fellows Commission: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, North Carolina State University, Elon University or Meredith College.
“This first North Carolina Teaching Fellows class represents the best and brightest prospective teachers our state has to offer,” said Dean Mary Ann Danowitz of N.C. State, the commission’s chairperson. “I congratulate each of them on this prestigious accomplishment, and am excited and optimistic about what they will bring to our students and classrooms in the future.”
The following individuals have been named as 2018 Teaching Fellows:
Caroline Ashley Alexander, Concord;
Bailey Allgood, Asheboro;
Sierra Amighetti, Burnsville;
Brooke Bowen, Wilmington;
Savannah Bryant, Sylva;
Rachael Bundy, Winston-Salem;
Ryan Burnett, Willow Spring;
Parker Burrows, Winston-Salem;
Jennifer Byrd, Wilson;
Devin Byrne, Mooresville;
Megan Cannady, Cary;
Megan Carson, Winston-Salem;
Bryan Chung, Charlotte;
Madisyn Clark, Sanford;
Serena Cobb, Newton;
Jessica Coles, Cary;
Chase Conner, Washington;
Casey Corpening, Garner;
Mikayla Cox, Winterville;
Ashton Crump, Greensboro;
Michael Culbertson, Fuquay Varina;
Natalie Daumen, Raleigh;
Madison Davis, Belmont;
A. Gabriel DeCaro, Apex;
London Dement, Louisburg;
Spencer Devine, Lawndale;
Rebecca Dodge, Mooresville;
Abigail Doyle, Raleigh;
Ashley Dugan, Raleigh;
Taylor Dunham, Linden;
Madison Evans, Durham;
Victoria Fanger, Shelby;
Megan Farris, Gastonia;
Kirby Forbes, Sanford;
Sara Fox, Wilmington;
Alexandra Gagnon, Summerfield;
Xiomara Garcia, Burlington;
Leah Garris, Pikeville;
William Gentile, Raleigh;
Joseph Glenn, Chapel Hill;
Breanna Goins, Mount Airy;
Kylee Gomilla, Huntersville;
Sara Gostomski, West Windsor, New York;
Peyton Greene, Salisbury;
Zoe Grove, Falls Church, Va.;
Emilie Guillou, Clayton;
Katelyn Hammel, Clyde;
Richard Haney, Chapel Hill;
Jacob Hankley, Asheville;
Alex Harn, Harrisburg;
Madeline Hays, Cary;
Megan Holmes Waxhaw;
Eleni Hull, Greensboro;
Rachel Jeska, Morrisville;
Natalie Johnson, Goldston;
Holly Johnston, Wilson;
Laura Beth Jones, Nashville;
Grayson Kapiko, Hampstead;
Nicole Kister, Olney, Md.;
Paige Knapke, Cary;
Laura Lampe, Smithfield;
Michalene Lee, Griswold, Conn.;
Rachel Leonard, Wake Forest;
Anna Lewis, Salisbury;
Erin Lisi, Charlotte;
Berri Locklear, Dallas;
Anna Lovelace, Forest City;
Mary Lovins, Boone;
McKenna Martin, Mooresville;
Ashley McDaniel, Apex;
James McNeill, Greensboro;
Andrea Moore, Fuquay Varina;
Dana Morgan, Aurora;
Christina Nichols, Chapel Hill;
Regan Orbison, Mount Ulla;
Allysa Orr, Pelham, Ala.;
Kristen Parrish, Lenoir;
Kaitlyn Penne, Bahama;
Laura Price, Four Oaks;
Ashley Pritchard, New Britain, Penn.;
Megan Pryor, Hendersonville;
Spencer Reece, Sanford;
Katelyn Rhyne, Clemmons;
Hundley Rhyne, Lincolnton;
Hasler Roberson, Wilmington;
Cierra Roberts, Andrews;
Allyson Sarnowski, Moyock;
Nicholas Schwankl, Pittsboro;
Bo Seaman, Durham;
Allison Seton-Harris, Harrisburg;
Madison Shores, China Grove;
Lindsay Simonton, Indian Trail;
Andrea Snyder, Greensboro;
Angela Stancil, Garner;
Haley Staton, Horse Shoe;
Michaela Steele, Concord;
Coleton Stewart, Clayton;
Emilee Strohl, Indian Trail;
Kyanna Sumpter, Sanford;
Kimberly Theora, Cary;
Rylie Toretti, Boca Raton, Florida;
Nikhil Umesh, Chapel Hill;
Paige Verica, Charlotte;
Emily Vick, Cary;
Dakota Walker, Waco;
Hannah Watlington, Yanceyville;
Lauren Wellspeak, New Bern;
Morgan White, Yadkinville;
Autumn Williams, Cary;
Trevor Youtz, Arden
The mission of the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program is to recruit, prepare and support students attending North Carolina’s top education programs for preparation as highly effective STEM or special education teachers in the state’s public schools. Fellows will receive up to $8,250 per year in forgivable loans if they commit to teach in a STEM or a special education area. The program is specifically designed to attract high-quality teachers to low-performing schools by offering an accelerated loan forgiveness schedule for Teaching Fellows who agree to teach in a low-performing school in North Carolina.
The Commission is comprised of four deans from educator preparation programs, teachers, principals, a member from business and industry and a local school board member. The N.C. Teacher of the Year, Principal of the Year, Superintendent of the Year, Chair of the State Education Assistance Authority (SEAA) Board of Directors and Director of the Teaching Fellows Program all serve as ex-officio members of the Commission.
North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program Highlights:
- The application for prospective Teaching Fellows will be made available in early December.
- The amount of the forgivable loan is up to $8,250.
- Any student with a high school, associates or bachelor’s degree is eligible. Even students who wish to transfer or change their majors are eligible.
- Teachers have 10 years to pay back the loan, either through cash repayment or loan forgiveness. In order to meet the loan forgiveness requirement, a teacher is required to serve one year in a low-performing school or two years in another public school for every year they were awarded a forgivable loan.
