At the UNC Greensboro School of Education, we have the privilege to witness the exciting ways our faculty, staff, and students engage with each other as a community every day. Our school fosters an environment that wholeheartedly believes in everyone’s potential for lifelong learning, which provides lessons above and beyond the academic knowledge and skills our students take with them when they graduate.
To our 2019 Graduates: May 10th marked the start of your new journey. You may have said goodbye to your UNC Greensboro family, but you will carry with you the lessons you have learned not just inside the classroom, but throughout your entire Spartan experience.
The Class of May 2019 are now part of a community of Spartan School of Education alumni who are making a difference in their communities. Our new graduates’ legacy is to pay forward all the love and learning they received along their educational journeys. On behalf of the School of Education, we offer our sincere congratulations on their achievements, and we wish them all the best in their futures!
Continue scrolling for more photos from the UNCG School of Education Commencement Ceremony on May 10, 2019.
Meet our 2019 Alumni Award Winners
Amanda Pickett
This year’s Early Career Award Winner is Amanda Pickett, who graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education in 2015, and received her Master’s of Education in Teacher Education on May 10, 2019. She is currently the grade level lead teacher for first grade at Sternberger Elementary School in Greensboro. She is a dedicated member of the STEM Teacher Leader Collaborative at UNC Greensboro, and was named the Guilford County Rookie Teacher of the Year in 2015. Congratulations, Amanda!
Dr. Rodney Shotwell
This year’s Distinguished Career Award winner is Dr. Rodney Shotwell, who has three degrees from UNC Greensboro: a Teaching Certificate for grades 9-12 in Social Studies in 1993, a Master’s in School Administration in 1996, and an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations in 1999. Rodney was the A. Craig Phillips North Carolina Superintendent of the Year in 2015, served and chaired the School of Education’s Advisory Board, and is currently the Superintendent of Rockingham County Schools. This district is especially close to our hearts because it is the home of Moss Street Partnership School, a collaboration with UNC Greensboro and Rockingham County Schools, which certainly feels the impact of Rodney’s leadership every day. Congratulations, Rodney!
Lynda Kellam
This year’s Outstanding Achievement Award goes to Lynda Kellam, who received her Master’s in Library and Information Studies from UNC Greensboro in 2007. Lynda is the Social Sciences Data Librarian at UNC Greenboro’s University Libraries, and serves as liaison to the Departments of Political Science, History, and Peace & Conflict Studies. She is also the Assistant Director of International & Global Studies, and is an advisor to students in that program. In 2017, Lynda was chosen as an American Library Association representative to the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions’ Standing Committee for Social Science Libraries, which she will serve on until 2021. Lynda will be leaving us in July to begin a new position as Research Data Services Librarian for the Institute for Social and Economic Research at Cornell University. We have been lucky to have her guidance and expertise in so many areas across campus. Congratulations, Lynda!
“Let us celebrate our invisible orchestra, brought together by love and futuristic leadership. May we cherish them. Honor them. And hopefully, become them.” — S Anandavalli, Doctor of Philosophy in Counseling and Counselor Education, CED ’19 (Graduate Student Speaker)
“I never thought my little lesson could have an impact on my students’ choices and thinking — it was the first time I felt the magic of teaching.” — Yue Wenqing, Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (K-6), TEHE ’19 (Undergraduate Student Speaker)
2019 Haggai Academy Scholars
