Twelve students from eastern North Carolina have been chosen for the third group of the Transformational Scholarships Program at N.C. State’s College of Education. Three of them are from Twin Counties.
The grants went to Andrea Loera Valdez, Ka’Viya White, and Phoebe Spradley. Ka’Viya White and White both live in Edgecombe County and graduated from Edgecombe Early College High School recently. Andrea Loera Valdez and White also live in Nash County and graduated from Faith Christian School recently.
Lorea Valdez is in her first year as a major in elementary education, and both Spradley and White are in their first year as majors in mathematics education.
The Anonymous Trust gave money to make the Transformational Scholarships Program possible. It gives scholarships of at least $40,000 over four years to talented high school students from eastern North Carolina who will teach in their home area after they graduate from N.C. State.
The third group of Transformational Scholars comes from seven eastern North Carolina counties.
Transformational Scholars receive at least $10,000 a year in grant support for up to four years. Those who need more money can get extra help to make sure that all of their financial needs are met, as found by the FAFSA. Scholars can also get money to help them grow professionally by doing things like studying abroad and going to conferences.
They do outdoor experiences, summer jobs, student teaching, and other things in the College of Education that prepare them to become teachers when they finish their undergraduate degrees and return to eastern North Carolina.
They also get one-on-one help from College of Education teachers and education leaders living and working in eastern North Carolina, such as graduates of N.C. State’s Educational Leadership Academies. They also make friends with other people in their cohort that will last a lifetime.