Scholarship Support Made it Possible for Cheyenne Quarless ’21 to Attend the NC State College of Education and Earn Her Bachelor’s Degree in Middle Grades Education

While growing up in Cary, North Carolina, Cheyenne Quarless ’21 always saw herself as a teacher. She taught her younger brother the alphabet and colors, and she was always the leader of the younger kids at her grandmother’s daycare, which was run out of Quarless’ home.

She was the type of kid who always wanted to learn and teach people things. That’s what inspired Quarless to pursue a career in education. And being that family is important to her, she chose the NC State College of Education since it was close to home. 

“I chose the NC State College of Education because it was small and competitive. I also heard that [NC State] has one of the best education programs in the state,” she said. “The cohorts are small, the professors really get to know you and I felt like I was really being supported.”

Quarless was also supported financially. Because of scholarship support, she was able to attend NC State and pursue her goal of becoming an educator. As the recipient of the Paul and Geneva Jenkins Scholarship and the Dr. Estelle E. White Scholarship, Quarless was able to attend NC State, participate in field experiences and prepare to be the best teacher possible. 

Because her family has gone through some financial hardships over the past couple of years, Quarless says she would not have been able to attend NC State without those scholarships and that she would have hated to miss out on the chance to attend. 

“It means a lot to me because I know there are so many students out there who they could’ve chosen, and the fact that I was chosen made me feel even more worthy of attending NC State,” she said. “I love college, both for the learning experiences and social aspects, so being able to keep coming semester after semester with the financial support really made my life.”

On May 14, Quarless will graduate from the NC State College of Education with a bachelor’s degree in middle grades English Language Arts and social studies education. 

She says her experience at NC State has prepared her well to tackle her own classroom and the education field. She says being able to have so many observation opportunities and having a great student-teaching experience have really cemented her choice to become a teacher.

“I love helping students develop and learn. Those little moments when the kids are actually using information that you taught them always makes me emotional because they are actually listening and learning from me,” she said. “Being a teacher is so powerful and I’m so excited to teach my future students.” 

Upon graduation, Quarless plans to work at a school in the Raleigh area. She would eventually like to step into some leadership roles by becoming a team lead or department chair.

“I can’t wait to step into and build my first classroom. I want to be the teacher that students can rely on; that’s definitely a goal for me,” she said.