RALEIGH, N.C. – The North Carolina Teaching Fellows Commission has selected 130 individuals to receive North Carolina Teaching Fellows awards for the Class of 2024 during its early-decision window.
The Teaching Fellows program is a competitive, merit-based forgivable loan program providing tuition assistance of up to $10,000 per year for qualified students committed to teaching elementary education, special education, science, technology, engineering, or math in a North Carolina public school. The purpose of the program is to recruit, prepare and support future teachers who attend institutions of higher education in North Carolina.
Those named as fellows may attend any of the program’s eight partner institutions, pending institutional admission: Elon University; Fayetteville State University; North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University; NC State University; Meredith College; University of North Carolina at Charlotte; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; and University of North Carolina at Pembroke. The program will be expanding to two additional institutions in Spring 2024.
In the early-decision window, the commission received 221 completed and screened applications. The commission considered grade point average, leadership and experience, awards and honors, written essays, educator recommendations and video submissions to offer the 130 awards. Standardized test scores from SAT/ACT were optional to align with admission standards from participating colleges and universities. Students who did not receive an early-decision award were deferred to the regular application window, which runs from Dec. 18 to Feb. 18. Any potential teachers in the areas of elementary, STEM, or special education are encouraged to apply at www.ncteachingfellows.org during the regular application window. The comprehensive list of the Class of 2024 Teaching Fellows awardees will be finalized in March 2024.
“We are proud to offer Teaching Fellows awards to these deserving students during this inaugural early-decision window,” said Bennett Jones, director of the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program. “The commission made a strategic decision to implement this early-decision window to increase the number of applicants to the program and to provide students with the knowledge that they have this award, which will assist them in their college application and decision-making processes. We are excited about the continued growth of the Teaching Fellows program and are grateful for the support of lawmakers and education policy leaders as we continue to promote the teaching profession across the state.”
The 130 awards in the early-decision window nearly match the 132 awards offered during the entire 2023 application cycle. The early-award recipients hail from 83 different cities and towns, representing 48 counties across the state. The 2024 early features an increase in minority recipients when compared to the previous class. Overall, more than one-third of the recipients in the early class of 2024 are minority candidates, a 2% increase from the previous year’s total.
Seventy-two of the recipients intend to study elementary education, 39 will study special education, and 19 will pursue licensure in STEM areas.
The North Carolina Teaching Fellows Commission is comprised of four deans from educator preparation programs, a community college president, a beginning teacher, a principal, a member from business and industry and a local school board member. The NC 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.
The following individuals represent the early-decision recipients in the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Class of 2024:
Jaden Aldridge, Greenville
Lilly Alford, Louisburg
Kaitlyn Allen, Raleigh
Andrew Baker, Raleigh
Maisy Baker, Burlington
Abigail Bare, High Point
Millie Barfield, Albemarle
Duane Baugher, Raleigh
Lindsey Beck, Seagrove
Tristan Bellamy, Clarkton
Erykah Berry, Cary
Skyler Beshears, Roxboro
Clarissa Bower, Hillsborough
Cassidy Brake, Cary
Kaitlyn Brennan, Apex
Harmony Brooks, Lumberton
Mia Browder, Franklinville
Shavangelia Brown, Willow Spring
Sofia Burr Reynolds, Raleigh
Sadie Byerly, Lexington
Hailey Byrd, Raleigh
Haley Byrum, Kitty Hawk
Triniti Cabiness, Jamestown
DeJane’ Cade, Charlotte
Gabriel Castillo Calderon, Burlington
Makenna Castor, Raleigh
Samantha Caulder, Rockingham
Lauren Caviness, Bennett
McKinleigh Cochran, Franklin
Kevin Cole, Hickory
Jaiden Collins-Russell, Archdale
William Crodick, Knotts Island
Braxton Cumbo, Havelock
Courtney Davis, Matthews
Haley Davison, Monroe
Katie Dodson, Mount Olive
Souad El Badaoui, Wake Forest
Keith Ellis, Durham
Erica Finch, Clayton
Sophie Francis, Cary
Kenleigh Freeman, Lumberton
Addisen Freeman, Moravian Falls
Brogan Gilbert, Wake Forest
Lily Goodman, Cary
Rachel Greeson, Greensboro
Gwendolyn Griffin, Indian Trail
Sarah Hall, Beulaville
Emmerson Hanson, Olin
Kila Heglar, Salisbury
Maliyah Hill, Havelock
Alana Hodges, Hope Mills
Kelly Holsopple, Apex
Jared Holt, Dunn
Maya Hoover, Charlotte
Lacey Houlden, Greensboro
Luke Hyatt, Wadesboro
Kiya Inman, Pilot Mountain
Morgan Jelovsek, Raleigh
Elayna Jennings, Fuquay-Varina
Deondre Johnson, Clayton
Chloe Johnson, Iron Station
Alice Jones, Shelby
Elizabeth Kluckman, Raleigh
Gianna Kwiatkowski, Garner
Beth Langley, Clayton
Jazmine Leak, Bunnlevel
Gretchen Levine, Chapel Hill
Haley Lewter, Lumberton
Andrea Loera Valdez, Tarboro
Christian Ludford, Cary
Stephanie Maloney, New Hill
Kalei Mauldin, Mount Airy
Cecilia Maxwell, Concord
Avery Mays, Weaverville
Keegan McCann, Morrisville
Isaac McCormick, Mount Airy
Steven Mercer, Trenton
Sarah Neighbors, Four Oaks
Evelyn Ng, Cary
Melany Paiz Hong, Monroe
Christopher Park, Mooresville
Sagar Patel, New Bern
Kennedy Perry, Louisburg
McKenna Peters, Plymouth
Chelsea Pham, Cary
Nyla Polk, Turkey
Kaylann Pond, Shelby
Kyla Powell, Roxboro
Riley Powers, Kings Mountain
Skarlette Pridgen, High Point
Kaitlyn Quinn, Apex
Abigail Ragan, Apex
Zenai Randle, Franklinton
Cassi Ratterree, Charlotte
Elizabeth Reno, New Bern
Karlie Robertson, Dobson
Alexia Rodriguez, Shelby
Brooke Rosenkrantz, Apex
Brennyn Rouse, Newton Grove
Aji Saine Sallah, Cary
Drew San Angelo, Pinehurst
Tae’ah Sanchez, Godwin
Kamryn Savage, Sanford
Madeleine Shaw, Cary
Lyla Sherwood, Wilmington
Keisha Singletary, Fayetteville
Randall Singleton, Newland
McKenna Sink, Mocksville
Courtney Sisk, Valdese
Jamya Smith, High Point
Dorothy Snyder, Mooresville
Ellie Spear, Edenton
Lily Stanton, Apex
Abigail Stubbs, Holly Springs
Addisyn Sullivan, Foxfire
Lauren Tomes, Huntersville
McKenzie Tomlinson, Hampstead
Camilla Torres, Mount Olive
Junior Torres Diaz, St. Pauls
Juan Travis, Charlotte
Magdiel Trejo, Lincolnton
Patrice Wade, Burlington
Lacey Warren, Dunn
Addison Washington, Huntersville
Morgan Watkins, Wake Forest
Coley Welch, Morganton
Ka’Viya White, Tarboro
Leah White, Elkin
Kenna Williams, Stallings
Lily Williams, Clinton