Eastern North Carolina
Eastern North Carolina has always been a place ripe for innovation, change, and disruption of the status quo. Our corps members and alumni are empowering the next generation of leaders who bring promise and hope to their communities every day.
In a region that is inclusive of so many diverse communities, one thing remains constant: the resilience and strength of the students, families, and community partners we serve alongside.
“Throughout ENC you will find some of the most hardworking people pushing towards progress and innovation and creativity. We are not little towns stuck in the past. We are small but mighty communities striving for what’s next and what’s absolutely possible. The pride and love in the community is infectious.”
Our Impact
Our Impact
After 30+ years of serving in Eastern North Carolina, the opportunity to make an immediate impact has never been greater. Today, hundreds of corps members and alumni teach in traditional public school districts and public charter schools across the region's rural communities, with several serving in school and district leadership roles. The spirit of innovation is evident in the work of the more than 1,000 Eastern North Carolina alumni who are leading for change in inspiring ways.
With corps members and alumni working in clusters across multiple counties, our network members are poised to build strong relationships with one another as they work together to expand equity and educational excellence.
Alumni Innovators
Jassmin Smith
Jassmin Smith
Through Just Dance Academy, Jassmin Smith (ENC '15) created a space for students of color, where there wasn't a space before.
Lauren Lampron
Lauren Lampron
Lauren Lampron (ENC '10) has served in the same district in eastern North Carolina for over a decade. Now an award-winning school principal, Lauren believes there is no greater purpose than being a teacher.
Vichi Jagannathan and Seth Saeugling
Vichi Jagannathan and Seth Saeugling
Vichi Jagannathan (ENC ‘11) and Seth Saeugling (ENC ’12), co-founded the Rural Opportunity Institute, which supports youth, organizations, and communities to interrupt the cycle of generational trauma and design innovative solutions for healing and resilience.
Dr. Steve North
Dr. Steve North
Dr. Steve North (ENC '93) founded the Center for Rural Health Innovation to improve access to healthcare in rural North Carolina.
Innovators wanted.
Living Here
Living Here
As an integrated part of a thriving community where Southern hospitality is a way of life, many corps members choose to live in or very close to the community where they teach, which may be the city of Greenville or one of the many rural areas across the eastern part of the state.
Living in the same towns as students allows corps members to engage with families outside of school through involvement in local Freedom Schools, coaching sports teams, or by offering off-campus tutoring.
Only an hour or two drive away from the larger cities of the Triangle, Eastern North Carolina offers the best of both worlds. Our corps members have the tight-knit community of a rural region with easy access to the amenities of the more urban Raleigh and Durham.
During their downtime, corps members enjoy hiking, camping, or rock climbing in the numerous state parks throughout the region, fishing or boating on Lake Gaston, visiting the many cultural and historical destinations, cheering on the Durham Bulls, traveling to the nearby Outer Banks, and of course, eating the local delicacies.
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“I want to decrease the high school dropout rate and increase the college graduation rate for Indigenous students. I joined TFA because one day I will help to make this change.”
“Teach For America gave me one of the greatest gifts: my why. And that why—that fire—lights in me to this day.”
Getting Certified to Teach
Pursuing your teaching license in the State of North Carolina will allow you to obtain credentials to remain in your classroom after your Corps Commitment. It will also allow you to pursue other leadership opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom. We see obtaining your teaching license as a critical step in your professional development - one that will provide you with key pedagogical knowledge to ensure your students are successful in the classroom.
In Eastern North Carolina, corps members obtain their teaching license through coursework with our partner university, East Carolina University. You will take two courses during your first year of teaching and two courses during your second year of teaching and then will have your full license by the summer of your second year (you will teach on a residency license as a corps member). In-state tuition for East Carolina University is approximately $2,000. Corps members are responsible for tuition fees, which are paid in payments to East Carolina University. Classes for your first year will total $400, and the remainder of tuition will be paid in their second year. Corps members may use their Americorps funding to cover their second year fees.
At this time, it is not possible to complete a master’s degree at the end of the two years. East Carolina University offers master’s degree options for corps members, but they begin the summer after your second year of teaching.
Local Leadership
Dr. Monique Perry-Graves
Executive Director
Teach For America North Carolina Regions
Dr. Monique Perry-Graves is an award-winning social impact leader with a deep commitment to expanding educational equity and access. For over twenty years she has aligned her personal and professional life to this commitment, born from her lived experience and generational family commitment to education.
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Our is only possible with community support, and we are grateful to have you as a partner. Your dedication to educational equity helps to find, recruit, select, and train a new generation of leaders in our region. Your support has brought to life our Eastern North Carolina Residency program, leadership development, and locally-based programming, and support for thousands of equity-centric leaders through the years