Graduate student showcases dedication at award ceremony
Dedication to the field of education and a love of Pirate Nation brought scholarship recipients and donors together — including one student who traveled all the way from Florida.
Carley VanHoy, a science education graduate student from Mount Airy, accepted the College of Education’s offer to speak at the 2019 Scholarship and Donor Recognition Ceremony. VanHoy was delighted to learn that Interim Chancellor Dan Gerlach would be the event’s guest speaker since she got to know him during her time as a Golden LEAF Scholar and, even though she is currently teaching sixth-grade science in Fort Pierce, Florida, she made sure she could attend the ceremony.
“ECU is so lucky to have Chancellor Gerlach,” she said. “He is here for every single one of the students and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. He cares deeply and will be such a wonderful addition to Pirate Nation.”
Interim Chancellor Dan Gerlach and graduate student Carley VanHoy spoke at the College of Education’s Scholarship and Donor Recognition Ceremony on Aug. 23. (Photo by Will Preslar)
VanHoy’s speech showed her love for her alma mater. “This is my first time back on campus since I graduated in May, and I am flooded with memories and emotions,” she said. “There truly is no other place like ECU.”
She shared anecdotes from her time at college and teaching as well as a recent experience she had at the grocery store where a cashier didn’t believe that VanHoy was a science teacher because of her southern accent. This caused VanHoy to reflect on how pervasive stereotypes are, even in classrooms.
“I encourage you to be the person that helps their students know that they are capable of any and everything they put their mind to, that their skin color and culture is not a burden, but a beautiful piece of diversity that should be embraced and celebrated,” she told the scholarship recipients. “Be the teacher that helps put that spark in their students’ eyes, not the one who takes it away.”
Gerlach referenced VanHoy’s passion and hardworking nature as one of the reasons he chose to accept the interim chancellor position. After speaking with Bill Roper, the president of the UNC System, about the position, Gerlach visited ECU and saw VanHoy working at A Time For Science, an organization that promotes science education and literacy.
“I think at that moment I said, ‘This is why I need to come here,’” Gerlach said. “This is why I need to become a part of Pirate Nation. Because I know as great as she is, all of y’all have that potential. That’s wonderful and I want to be part of that. If I can help make a difference there and have that honor and privilege of serving at East Carolina University, well that’d be a great thing.”
During his speech, Gerlach also addressed the College of Education’s importance. “This college is our oldest college. It’s the foundation of everything else that we do,” he said.
Through his work with economic development in the state, he saw a need for a qualified workforce with more college graduates. However, you cannot increase college education without having a high-quality K-12 system, which is why the College of Education is necessary, Gerlach said.
“We educate more young people from rural North Carolina than the top two research universities in the state combined,” he said, “because we see what needs to be done and we go ahead and do it.”
Both VanHoy and Gerlach thanked all of the donors who show their dedication to teaching by providing scholarships. “Donors, your investment in our futures reaches far beyond monetary value,” VanHoy said. “Each recipient today has been given the invaluable opportunity to pursue their educational dreams because of you.”
The College of Education awarded more than $540,000 to 108 students for the 2019-20 academic year.
-by Kristen Martin, University Communications