Teachers: an integral part of a system dedicated to educating and raising the children of the world. Most have a story or two detailing how an impactful teacher changed their life, or at least the quality of their day. But lately, few people have the motivation to become teachers, especially as they are graduating high school themselves. In North Carolina, the UNC System is trying to combat this trend with the NC Teaching Fellows Program, a scholarship aimed at promoting teaching in the state.

The NC Teaching Fellows Program has been giving prospective North Carolina teachers the chance to learn about NC public schools, meet future colleagues and finance their college educations since 1986. Emma Van Bergen, who graduated from Wakefield High School in 2024, is a current Teaching Fellow and was drawn to the benefits of the program, including seminars aimed at improving her skills.

“Once you get accepted [to the Teaching Fellows Program] it does give you $10,000 a year, and all you have to do is teach in North Carolina for four years after you graduate,” Van Bergen said. “They host a bunch of activities that you can go to. They have optional events and required events that allow you to learn more about North Carolina and the education system.”

Temporarily cut in 2011 due to budgeting, this program was restarted in 2017 to encourage people to go into teaching. Van Bergen is a part of the NCSU’s class of 2028.

“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher since I was a little kid,” Van Bergen said. “I looked into [the Teaching Fellows], and I planned on staying in North Carolina anyway to teach, so it was perfect for me.”

Van Bergen’s enthusiasm is warranted; the NC Teaching Fellows program gives its students connections and memories to last a lifetime. Rebecca Mathis, a Fellow starting in 1997, fondly remembers her experiences as a Fellow. 

“I felt like I had an added layer of support and preparation that carried me into teaching,” Mathis said. “I could still connect with my mentor [after I graduated] if I had questions about resources or needed additional help, and I felt like the avenue of communication was open.”

Beyond just good memories, this program also prepares prospective teachers for jobs in North Carolina’s public schools. The program exposes Fellows to counties all around the state to show them the realities of teaching in different areas.

“They took every teaching fellow from the state, and we traveled across the state in huge charter buses to different North Carolina public schools,” Mathis said. “We got to see the depth and breadth of the North Carolina education system.”

Additionally, and most importantly for some, NC Teaching Fellows receive a scholarship paying for their college education. In today’s world, education can be hard to finance and student debt can linger for years. Freedom from that challenge is a relief for many prospective teachers. Sarah Joyner, a Teaching Fellow in 2000, is now the Career Development Coordinator at Wakefield High School and helps students longing to be teachers have the impactful experience that she did.

“Anytime [a student] tells me they’re interested in teaching, I always suggest that they apply for teaching fellows,” Joyner said. “You don’t make a ton of money as an educator, and we don’t go into it for that reason, but to pay back student debt on a teacher’s salary is not easy. It was a free ride, and all I had to do was teach in North Carolina for four years.”

Wakefield High School senior Abril Catrain Mella is the latest to be accepted to the NC Teaching Fellows Program. For her, being a Fellow is the perfect way to make her teaching ambitions come to fruition.

“I want to be a teacher, probably Kindergarten, but I want to move my way up and become a principal, and then start working in the Wake County district,” Catrain Mella said. “I want to shape the future.”

The NC Teaching Fellows program is already paving the way for her dreams to come true. Catrain Mella, officially accepted, has started reaching out to other Fellows and using her new resources.

“There’s [already] a sense of community,” Catrain Mella said. “Even looking for a roommate, you see ‘Teaching Fellows’ under someone’s name and it’s like you’re on the same team.”

Few jobs are as challenging, or as rewarding, as teaching. Although few choose to pursue teaching as a career, the NC Teaching Fellows Program ensures that those who do in North Carolina have access to the best resources available to make a difference in students’ lives.

“It’s amazing seeing kids’ lives change,” Van Bergen said. “I think if you love your job, that’s all that matters and if anyone’s thinking about teaching I definitely recommend the Teaching Fellows.”