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RALEIGH — The North Carolina Teaching Fellows Commission has selected 210 individuals to receive North Carolina Teaching Fellows awards for the Class of 2025 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 a 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.
The following are early-decision recipients in the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Class of 2025: Brianna Jordan of Albemarle, Addison Marks of Richfield, Jacey Shelton of Norwood and Addison Whitley of New London.
The award winners may attend any of the program’s 10 partner institutions pending admission: Appalachian State University; East Carolina University; 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.
In the early-decision window, the NCTF commission received 307 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 210 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 period, which runs until Feb. 28, 2025. 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 2025 Teaching Fellows awardees will be finalized in March 2025.
“Congratulations to these deserving winners chosen during our early-decision process,” said Bennett Jones, director of the North Carolina Teaching Fellows program. “We look forward to their future careers in classrooms around the state. We are heartened by the continued growth of the program, and we are grateful for the support of lawmakers and education leaders as we continue to promote the teaching profession.”
The 210 awards in the early-decision window represent a 61% increase in early-action awards from last year’s window. The early-decision awardees feature 134 high school seniors, 60 college transfer students and 16 licensure-only students. The early-award recipients hail from 126 different cities and towns representing 63 counties across the state. The early class of 2025 includes 30% minority recipients. Finally, 136 of the early-decision award winners intend to study elementary education, 45 are pursuing licensure in the areas of STEM education, and 29 are planning to be licensed in special education.
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 Board of Directors, and Director of the Teaching Fellows program all serve as ex-officio members of the commission.