Our Student Panelists for Gen Z on the Teaching Profession
Meet the five first-year students in the College of Education who will comprise the panel for the Gen Z on Teaching Profession event on Sept. 18 from 6:30-8 p.m. in the Piedmont/Mountains Ballroom in Talley Student Union on NC State's campus.
You’re Invited!
Kaiya Connor
Kaiya is an elementary education major from Holly Springs. She graduated from Holly Springs High School, where she was part of the Wake County Public School System’s Future Teachers Program, a teacher recruitment initiative to grow the district’s internal talent and support WCPSS high school graduates who intend to pursue careers in education. She was a competitive gymnast for seven years and has held state and regional titles. She held an internship with The Goddard School as part of an early childhood education class she took her senior year in high school. She taught there over the summer in a full-time position. She is a recipient of the Darla Buchanan Scholarship.
Dariana De Leon
Dariana is a middle grades mathematics education major from Tarboro. She graduated from Edgecombe Early College High School, where she was a participant in the Scholar Teachers program, which recruits highly qualified high school students from Edgecombe County into the teaching profession and supports their personal and professional growth as future teachers. She also participated in NC State’s Leadership Institute for Future Teachers in summer 2021, is a Council on Multicultural Initiatives & Diversity (COMID) Scholarship recipient and is part of the Transformational Scholarships Program, which provides scholarships totaling $40,000 over four years to promising high school students from Eastern North Carolina who will return to the region to teach after graduating from NC State’s College of Education. The program was made possible due to a generous charitable grant from the Anonymous Trust.
Olivia Ferlito
Olivia is an elementary education major with a minor in voice performance from Raleigh. She graduated from Enloe High School, where she thrived on managing a heavy AP course load while lettering in two varsity level sports, receiving Academic All Conference Honors each semester. She was also a competitive soccer player, serving as the starting goalkeeper for three years for Wake FC Football Club DPL teams and playing for the Poweraid NC State Games. Olivia was a leader at Enloe as a member of Young Life, Project UNIFY, Tri M Music Honor Society and Crescenloe (Enloe’s award-winning a capella group). She spends her summers working as a lifeguard and swim coach for the City of Raleigh. Her motivation for pursuing elementary education is deeply rooted in her family history. Nine of her family members, including her grandparents, are educators.
Joshua Webb
Josh is a middle grades language arts and social studies education major from Rocky Mount. He graduated from Edgecombe Early College High School, where he was a participant in the Scholar Teachers program. In high school, he was a swim coach and served as a youth and after-school counselor. He’s a contributor to EdNC.org and is an education policy assistant with the Public School Forum of North Carolina. At NC State, he is part of the Transformational Scholarships Program, which provides scholarships totaling $40,000 over four years to promising high school students from Eastern North Carolina who will return to the region to teach after graduating from NC State’s College of Education. The program was made possible due to a generous charitable grant from the Anonymous Trust.
Coley Welch
Coley is a science education major from Morganton. He graduated from Robert L. Patton High School, in Burke County, where he was involved in the Technology Student Association, National Honor Society and Garden Club, as well as the cross country, tennis and swimming teams. At NC State, he is part of the Goodnight Scholars Program, which provides North Carolina residents interested in studying science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) or STEM education with a scholarship valued at $92,000 for up to four years. NC State alumni Dr. Jim and Mrs. Ann Goodnight established the Goodnight Scholars Program in 2008.