Kylei Ward '25

The Watson College is pleased to announce that Kylei Ward ’25 has received a spring 2025 Hattie M. Strong Scholarship. Kylei is from Shelby, North Carolina. She will graduate in May with a degree in Elementary Education.

Kylei came UNCW with plans to major in nursing and eventually go on to become a pediatrician, but said her work at an after-school program helped her realize that teaching is her passion.

“My goal has always been to work with children,” she said. “I grew up playing school with my siblings, cousins and friends. Throughout my sophomore and junior years of college I worked with elementary-school aged kids at Port City Gymnastics, and that is really where I realized that education was the path I wanted to take.”

Kylei said her experiences at the Watson College have helped to reinforce her decision.

“Watson is truly the best education program in the state,” she said. “Not only is it a beautiful building but the people are so welcoming and Watson is truly a place to feel at home. My professors have helped prepare me for my teaching career by being so encouraging and truly believing in me. My courses and field experiences have helped prepare me for my teaching career by providing me with so many opportunities to be hands-on and proactive in my education.”

Kylei is currently completing an internship in a first-grade classroom at Belville Elementary School, and said she was thrilled to receive a Hattie M. Strong Scholarship during her internship semester.

“The Hattie M. Strong Scholarship Award means that I can be successful and accomplish all that life throws at me,” she said. “It acknowledges my hard work and enthusiasm for education and teaching. It will also serve as  encouragement and help me avoid any financial hardships throughout my internship semester.”

About the Hattie M. Strong Scholarship Awards

The Hattie M. Strong Foundation has helped aspiring students achieve a college degree since 1928. Today, HMSF’s primary activity is to provide scholarships for students enrolled in teacher training programs at partnering institutions 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.

The Watson College joined a select group of institutions as a Hattie M. Strong Foundation partner in 2013. This valuable partnership enabled the College to award four $5,000 Hattie M. Strong scholarships to WCE interns for the spring 2025 semester.