Meeting The Moment: Our Top 3 from 2023

In 2023, Teach For America North Carolina met the moment in education. This year we made strides towards our vision of one day, every child. As we celebrate the New Year and continue to illuminate the path to one day, check out our top three headlines from 2023.

1. Meeting the Moment: Celebrating our Network?

In 2023, we went on a statewide tour to bring together members of our communities and to celebrate the accomplishments of our network. We met the moment across our four pillar communities at our annual One Day Breakfasts. Meeting the moment for us, meant bringing together our network, celebrating the work of our educators and students, while most of all acknowledging that in this moment in education, we need a powerful network of leaders and educators to achieve one day for all students.??

Our One Day Breakfasts included an amazing line up of leaders and educators from our pillar communities. We are grateful for our amazing line up of speakers: Dr. Otis Smallwood , Ashley Bradley, Lauren Lampron, EdD , Brandon Lam , Jassmin Smith Clark , David Farris, Dr. Whitney Oakley, Mo Green (Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation), Stephen Bell, LCSW , Maggie O'Daniel , Jacob Hicks , Charrise Hart, MBA, MSW , Mindy Oakley , Kieth Cockrell , Katie B. Morris , Dr. Alison Harris Welcher , Richard Nichols Jr , Alyssa Sharpe , Shreyaa Mukund , Kenneth Gorham , Quwamee Simmons Bell, The Merancas Foundation, Inc., Linda Lockman-Brooks , Mebane Rash , Jemina Bernard , Honorable Deanna Ballard, Dr. Erica Shoulders-Royster , Nichad Davis, Esq. , Hardin Engelhardt , and Dr. Monique Perry-Graves .

?"What I know to be true is that ‘One Day’ doesn’t happen without TFA and its teachers, for all of their students and all students across North Carolina.”- Mebane Rash , Founder and CEO of EducationNC

While on our One Day Breakfast tour, we also welcomed our corps members into alumni-hood at our three alumni inductions across the state. Our 2021 corps members joined our over 2,000 alumni that continue to live and work across the state.

?2. Meet Our Leaders: Catalyzing Leadership Across the State?

Teach For America North Carolina is proud to celebrate the work of our leaders in and out of the classroom. Our network is packed with leaders who work to meet the moment in education and illuminate the path to one day for students and communities across the state of North Carolina. In 2023, we announced our? fifteen award winning alumni and corps members from the 2022-2023 school year.

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"Teach for America North Carolina provided me with an experience that wasn't just about teaching -- it was about continuous learning, collaboration, and transforming education as a community. The lifelong friendships and mentors I have gained through Teach for America have provided me with invaluable experiences throughout my time in the classroom and beyond."- Rachel Brackney (ENC '15), Teacher of the Year, SouthWest Edgecombe High School, District Teacher of the Year, Edgecombe County Public Schools

Our Executive Director, Dr. Monique Perry-Graves celebrated two years as our first ever statewide executive director. Dr. Perry-Graves along with Teach For America Alumna alumna and Executive Director of She Built This City, LaToya Faustin (RGV '04) was recognized as well as our network partner Kieth Cockrell , President of Bank of America in the Charlotte Business Journal's 2023 Power 100 class.

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The 2023 Power 100 class is made up of, "the region’s leaders in diversity, equity and inclusion. CBJ’s editorial staff spent months seeking out nominations, working through our contacts across companies big and small, and asking for the help of nonprofits and civic organizations to identify the DEI players who are setting the agenda here".?

As a way to celebrate our amazing leaders across the state, we hosted our Meet Our Leaders event series in our four pillar communities. These events were networking opportunities and ways for network partners to connect with our corps members and alumni who are achieving amazing impact in and out of the classroom.

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3. Accelerating Our Impact: Illuminating the path to One Day?

Last year we welcomed our 2023 corps members to our region. In July, we hosted our first statewide conference to welcome all of our corps members in Eastern North Carolina, Charlotte, and the Piedmont Triad. At these event, we heard from the 2023 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Teacher of the Year Dr. Kim Jones and reflections from our friends at Equitable.

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In 2023, we also announced major partnerships with organizations across the state to increase our impact in our communities. We launched a partnership with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library to provide our teachers with resources in Charlotte.

Our partners at the SECU foundation provided a $250,000 donation to Teach for America North Carolina to support our expansion of our RISE Fellowship.

In November, we announced a partnership with Common Wealth Charlotte to support our entire North Carolina alumni network on the path to financial freedom.?

On Giving Tuesday (November 28), we also announced our partnership with Toyota Tsusho America , Inc. Our partners at Toyota Tsusho America, Inc. (“Toyota Tsusho”) announced? a total investment of $100,000 to Teach For America North Carolina (“TFA NC”) to bring the Future Forward program – a career and college readiness initiative supporting underrepresented high school students – to Randolph County after launching it initially with TFA's affiliate in Eastern KY/Appalachia.?

“Today’s children are tomorrow’s future,” - Mike Lavender, Senior Vice President, Administration and Digital, Toyota Tsusho America.

These are only a few moments from 2023. As we enter the new year, Teach for America North Carolina is excited and motivated to continue to illuminate the path to equity for all in and out of education across North Carolina.