Leah Davis '26

Leah Davis ’26 has received a spring 2026 Hattie M. Strong Scholarship from the Watson College of Education. She will graduate in May with a degree in elementary education.

A native of Statesville, North Carolina, Davis began her college career at Cape Fear Community College, where she initially planned to study sonography before deciding to pursue teaching and transferring to UNCW.

“I loved Wilmington and wanted to stay here,” she said. “The program at UNCW’s Watson College of Education is highly rated within the state, and I liked the opportunity to be in the classroom from the start to gain experience.”

Davis said her coursework and field experiences have prepared her well for the profession.

“The professors that I have had within this program have been great. I have learned many strategies for success in the classroom and have used them during my field experiences and internship,” she said. “My professors have all been supportive and want each of us to succeed.”

She is currently completing an internship in a first-grade classroom at Belville Elementary School and said she’s grateful for the Hattie M. Strong scholarship, which has allowed her to focus fully on her training.

“This scholarship solidified for me that it is my calling to be a teacher, because without it, I would have to work on top of my internship to try to pay my bills every month,” she said. “The scholarship has allowed me to focus solely on my internship and be fully invested in the classroom.”

She said she’s looking forward to beginning her teaching career soon.

“Becoming a teacher has always felt like my path, even before I fully understood it,” she said. “Growing up, I was surrounded by teachers and coaches who genuinely cared about their students and players; in turn, this showed me that I wanted to make an impact on the world. I want to create that same kind of impact by building a classroom where my students feel safe, supported and truly excited to come to school and learn.”

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 ease financial pressures during the full-time student teaching semester.

The Watson College of Education became a HMSF partner in 2013, joining a select group of institutions across the country. Through the partnership, WCE awarded four $5,000 scholarships to teacher interns for the Spring 2026 semester.