Marisha Merchant, MIT Program, Class of 2027

Marisha Merchant is pursuing a Master of Science in Instructional Technology (MIT) at UNCW’s Watson College of Education. Merchant is a highly acclaimed English and AVID teacher at White Oak High School in Onslow County.  She says technology is an integral part of how she teaches, connects with students and supports her colleagues.

“Technology helps me to stay organized and to manage my workload, and I model these processes for my students so they can use technology in meaningful ways as well,” she said. “Pursuing a master's in instructional technology, and then obtaining a Digital Learning and Teaching Facilitator (DLTF) position in my district, would allow me to share these processes with more teachers throughout the district.”

Merchant says education is somewhat of a family business. Her mother retired after a 31-year career in North Carolina public schools, and her two older sisters are also North Carolina educators. Merchant earned her undergraduate degree from North Carolina Central University, where she was a Teaching Fellow and graduated summa cum laude.

After completing her four-year Teaching Fellows commitment, Merchant initially considered changing careers. Instead, she found that she had fallen in love with the classroom.

“Building relationships has been the biggest and most significant part of everything I've done,” she said. “Students don’t need a ‘fair weather’ teacher; they need consistency. The relationships that I've built with students contributed largely to their success in my classes. Many have said they hate reading or writing, but they did it for me. And, I’ve had students who I’ve taught their freshman year and never had them for a single other class, but they still came to me right before graduation to say they didn’t know how they’d have made it without me.”

That commitment to students has grown into a broader commitment to supporting educators. In addition to mentoring students, Merchant serves as White Oak’s Beginning Teacher Support Program coordinator and Instructional Framework Champion, a teacher-leader role focused on advocating for the district’s teaching standards and helping colleagues implement effective, research-based classroom practices.

Her leadership and innovation have earned numerous honors. Merchant is White Oak High School’s 2025–2026 Teacher of the Year and has twice been named the school’s Tech Savvy Educator of the Year. She was also a top-five finalist for Onslow County Teacher of the Year. Beyond her school, she is an active member of the North Carolina Association of Educators and Gov. Josh Stein’s Teacher Advisory Committee. Earlier this year, she was invited to serve on North Carolina’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Public Education.

At UNCW, Merchant is extending that commitment to teacher support through her work with the Teaching with Joy (TWJ) Network. Alongside fellow MIT student Trae Landy, she serves as a graduate assistant for the network. As part of their MIT internship, the two partnered with TWJ founding members Denise Ousley, Robert Smith and Jessica Harvey (Pender County Beginning Teacher Coach) to conduct a front-end analysis of the needs of beginning teachers in Pender County. Their work will help the TWJ Network determine next steps for developing support systems to meet beginning teacher needs.

“I think the TWJ network is so valuable and is something that needs to be spread throughout the state as quickly as we can,” Merchant said. “The timing of my internship seemed to be kismet. Teaching isn’t easy and you are not going to get rich, but so many things about this profession are improved when building positive relationships and establishing culture are prioritized. Clinging to my passion for education is what has kept me going. For many educators, prioritizing our joy may be the one thing in our control that will keep dedicated professionals returning to the classroom.”

As a working mom and teacher-leader actively involved with the TWJ Network and two state-level education policy initiatives — while working toward her master’s degree — Merchant is managing a demanding schedule.

“To say that it’s been a wild ride would be putting it mildly!” she said. “It's become cliche' but teachers really do have to know our "WHY," and make sure it's strong enough to carry us through so we can be there for our students.”