The Watson College joined a select group of 24 institutions as a Hattie M. Strong Foundation partner in 2013. The partnership allows WCE to offer $5,000 scholarships to outstanding pre-service teachers in the internship semester. Scholarships are awarded to students with strong academic performance, who show promise to be outstanding student interns and classroom teachers.
The Watson College is pleased to announce that Abby Corbett and Carly Mounts have received fall 2024 Hattie M. Strong scholarship awards.
Abby Corbett will graduate in December with a degree in Elementary Education. Originally from Raleigh, NC, she said she has always wanted to be a teacher.
“My family is full of teachers, and some of my favorite childhood memories are from helping my mom get ready for the school year and setting up her classroom,” she said. “I chose to come to Watson/UNCW because I knew that they had an exceptional education program. Although I grew up in Raleigh, I was actually born in Wilmington, so coming back felt like a full-circle moment and where I was meant to be.”
Abby said her professors and courses at Watson have been helpful in preparing her for her career, and she enjoyed completing her internship in a first-grade classroom at Wrightsboro Elementary School this fall.
“I have felt so supported by my professors, and I can still reach out to them as I go through my internship,” she said. “My partnership teacher, who also graduated from Watson, is amazing and I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor.”
Abby said the Hattie Strong Scholarship has been a great help during her final internship semester.
“The Hattie Strong Scholarship means so much to me,” she said. “Coming into the internship semester was stressful, and with the scholarship, I was able to focus on putting my best foot forward in my class without the extra stress of working. I have been working since I was 14 and this is the first semester I haven’t had to work while going to school, which has been such a relief.”
Abby hopes to teach in New Hanover County after she graduates in December. She also looks forward to furthering her education at UNCW in the future.
Carly MountsCarly Mounts is enrolled in Watson’s Elementary Education program, with a concentration in Language Arts. She grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina and said her decision to pursue a teaching career was deeply influenced by her family.
“I was one of the oldest among my eighteen cousins, and I spent half of my life babysitting and taking care of them,” she said. “As they got older, I realized how much I missed teaching and caring for children. This experience truly ignited a genuine passion for teaching within me and led me to pursue this career.”
Carly said the faculty and staff at the Watson College of Education are exceptional.
“I wholeheartedly recommend this program for any aspiring teacher because not only do they make this process so enjoyable, but they also genuinely care about our success, our well-being, and our future as educators,” she said. “I cannot express my gratitude for them enough.”
Carly completed an internship at Wrightsboro Elementary School prior to her graduation in December.
“I am deeply grateful to have been chosen as a recipient of the Hattie Strong Scholarship,” she said. “Receiving this prestigious award helped me to feel more confident entering my internship semester.”
Please join us in congratulating Abby and Carly and wishing them both luck as they begin their teaching careers!
Since 1928, the Hattie M. Strong Foundation has helped aspiring students achieve a college degree in their chosen field of study by providing interest-free loans with flexible repayment terms. In 2009, recognizing the alarming debt loads of recent graduates, the foundation’s board of directors moved to offer scholarships instead. Today, HMSF’s primary activity is the administration of a scholarship program aimed at college students enrolled in teacher training programs at partnering institutions. Partner colleges are selected based on demonstrated leadership in preparing outstanding classroom teachers.
A specific goal of the foundation is to help reduce financial pressure during the student internship semester, when a student’s ability to offset expenses with outside employment is curtailed by the rigor of full-time work in the classroom.
This article has the following tags: Watson College of Education Accomplishments Students & Alumni