County teachers earn scholarship to complete master’s program

Two teachers from Sampson County Schools were given the opportunity to go back to school to get a master’s in administration through a new scholarship program offered through the Innovation Project (TIP) and North Carolina Central University.

Ashley Knowles and Brandon Powell are two of 16 educators from across North Carolina who were granted a scholarship to NCCU to get a master’s degree.

Knowles, who teaches visual art at Union High School, said she was given this opportunity after a failed attempt at getting a different scholarship.

“So, we got an email from our central office regarding a different scholarship opportunity through a different university and I applied for that one. It was also for a master’s, and we were given a list of questions and topics to address in a self-recorded interview video. So, I completed that and submitted it. Fast forward, (and we found out) it wasn’t a scholarship that could be offered to classroom teachers, which was really disappointing, but the teachers that applied, we didn’t know. We felt that we could apply for it,” Knowles said.

She said that the US Department of Education provides scholarships through a nonprofit umbrella-type project called the North Carolina Recruitment, Retention and Promotion Project (NCRRP). And underneath this project is the Innovation Project (TIP), which had a different scholarship opportunity for classroom teachers.

“We were selected as a participating school for the TIP scholarship. So, for those of us who were interested in the first scholarship opportunity, the initial one that wasn’t available to teachers where we had already submitted the videos, we had the option to use our original video as an interview for the TIP scholarship through Central and applied, and I got it,” Knowles shared.

Powell had a similar story.

He has been working as a career and technical education teacher at Lakewood High School for the past seven years. While working there, he said he expressed his interest in pursuing an administrative degree to his principal and superintendent Dr. Jamie King. Both promised to look into opportunities for him.

Knowles and Powell think that having a degree in administration will help them in the future create a work environment that they want to see in the school systems.

Powell said he believed there was a need for administrators who were progressive thinkers, which he believes he is, and also a need for representation.

“I feel that representation is extremely important in education, and I feel that, you know, definitely being a black male, I do provide an opportunity to be representative of a population that’s not necessarily always represented,” Powell stated.

Knowles said she believed in being a “champion for education.”

“Because of our rural location and lack of resources it’s difficult to find teachers who want to work in Sampson County. We get them, but then they leave when it gets tough, and I think it’s largely because teachers don’t feel 100 percent supported and I want to change that,” Knowles said. “I want to work in education in such a way that provides me an opportunity to really support and be a cheerleader for other teachers, and I want teachers to want to work here with our kids.”

Powell shared the same ideals, stating, “It’s extremely important to have people in Sampson County who are passionate not only about education, but are passionate about education within Sampson County.”

As for hardships they will face, both Powell and Knowles mentioned the challenges they face going back to school.

“It’s always a challenge for someone who’s been out of school for so long to go back and kind of get back in the mode of doing classwork assignments,” Powell said. “I think there are some new challenges I’ll have with the specific courses I’m taking. For example, I’m taking school law right now where I’m looking at legal structures and how they apply in the school system.”

Knowles shared how she was not a good student and how she didn’t go to college right after high school, instead she got her bachelor’s degree at 28.

“But I have a strong faith now and I believe that God is good,” she said about going back. “What I’m most excited about is showing my children that no matter where they end up in life, it’s never too late. You can always grow and dream big and make changes.”

After finishing the program, Powell said that both he and Knowles will have to work in administration for Sampson County Schools for a minimum of three years.

Seven other rural North Carolina Schools were given the chance to participate in the program. These districts include Asheboro, Edgecombe, Elizabeth City-Pasquotank, Mt. Airy, Lexington, Vance and Warren County schools.