Kevin Ojaniit ’23

Kevin Ojaniit ’23 never thought that teaching would be in his future until his sophomore year at UNCW. After switching majors twice, Ojaniit contemplated his future. Ultimately, he decided that he “wanted to make a difference in the lives of the next generation.”

“Like my teachers did with me,” he said.  “Teaching was the best way to do that, and I fell in love with it immediately.” 

Now teaching seventh-grade social studies and science at Myrtle Grove Middle School in Wilmington, NC, Ojaniit thinks back to his UNCW days and describes how the Secondary Education program through Watson College of Education was “phenomenal” in his teaching upbringing. 

“Each of my professors had experience teaching in schools and knew what to teach us to be successful. Our field experiences were each designed for us to learn a new aspect of teaching and eased us into our internship,” said Ojaniit, who was named the 2024 New Hanover County Schools Beginning Teacher of the Year. He will represent the county in the North Carolina Center for Advancement of Teaching Beginning Teacher of the Year Award, which will be announced in March 2025.

UNCW’s program allowed him to “test the waters” of the teaching path, and he cites that as one of his starting ventures into the teaching workforce. Ojaniit’s teaching philosophy is one of inquiry and critical thinking. The open-ended nature of his essential questions, assignments and lessons is designed to get the student to ask questions, jog their minds and engage in the subject at hand.

“I want them to know that they are not just passive listeners but are actively engaged with their learning,” he said. “At UNCW, the secondary education social studies classes I had taken really put an emphasis on inquiry, not only as a teacher, but a learner as well. This stuck with me as it worked really well for me as a student, so I decided to work it into teaching, and seeing the results, I would say it works for my students as well.”

Before becoming a teacher and even entering the education field, Ojaniit thought the biggest obstacle was himself. Now a recognized teacher with nothing but the future ahead, Ojaniit is keeping his composure and doesn’t plan on changing any time soon.

“I truly appreciate the recognition, but I do not want it to change who I am or how I teach. I am by no means perfect, and I know that there is always room for growth, and I never want to forget that,” he said.