RALEIGH, N.C. – Nathaniel Myers III, a Career Technical Education (CTE) teacher at Wakefield Middle School with Wake County Public Schools, has been named a 2021–22 Kenan Fellow. His fellowship was made possible through a partnership between Fidelity Investments and the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership at N.C. State University.
Myers, who has been teaching for five years, is among the 2021-22 cohort of 26 Kenan Fellows statewide. During the summer, he will partner with professionals at Fidelity Investments to identify opportunities to provide more inclusive financial services to individuals in underrepresented communities. Through this experience, he will also bring his new knowledge back to his classroom and create resources to share with colleagues.
“Fidelity is excited to welcome Nate, whose passion and energy won us over immediately. His dedication to education and his creative approach to teaching and problem solving are inspiring. Nate’s perspectives will be instrumental as we re-think our approach to Financial Education and well-being and will further our efforts on K-12 financial literacy. As the Head of Customer Inclusion, I am looking for new ways to infuse unique learnings into what we do and the partnership with Kenan provides us with talent to make that happen,” Jamal Stockton, Head of Customer Inclusion, Fidelity Investments.
Kenan fellowships are awarded through a competitive application process. As part of the fellowship, the educators will attend a series of professional learning institutes focused on project-based learning, digital learning and leadership development. Teachers remain in the classroom while completing the yearlong fellowship. Educators who complete the program say they feel a deeper connection to their community and grow professionally as part of a statewide network of teacher leaders. As their leadership skills grow, Kenan Fellows lead pro-actively within their schools and districts. Many become empowered to influence and lead educational innovation at state and national levels.
“Thanks to the support of industry leaders such as Fidelity Investments, we are able to bridge STEM at work with STEM at school while strengthening ties between education and industry,” said Dr. Elaine Franklin, director of the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership.