RALEIGH, N.C. —North Carolina’s biotechnology industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the state. This summer, a Wake County teacher will step inside FUJIFILM Biotechnologies‘ new commercial-scale biologics manufacturing campus in Holly Springs, to learn workplace skills and career pathways that students need to enter the sector and help build the local talent pipeline.

Erin Harden, a fifth-grade teacher at Pine Springs Prep, a charter school in Wake County, is one of 36 teachers awarded a 2026–27 Kenan Fellowship. NC BioNetwork is sponsoring her fellowship, which will immerse her at FUJIFILM Biotechnologies, one of the world’s leading biologics and vaccine contract development and manufacturing companies.As part of the experience, Harden will visit the manufacturing floor, learn about the regulatory environment and observe the workforce development programs shaping North Carolina’s expanding biotechnology sector. When teachers learn this way, students gain career relevance and communities strengthen the connection between education and local workforce opportunities.

“By opening our Holly Springs campus to the Kenan Fellows Program, in partnership with NC BioNetwork, we’re helping connect classroom learning to real biomanufacturing careers and strengthening the local talent pipeline.”

“Educators like Erin Harden are vital to North Carolina’s growing life sciences ecosystem. By opening our Holly Springs campus to the Kenan Fellows Program, in partnership with NC BioNetwork, we’re helping connect classroom learning to real biomanufacturing careers and strengthening the local talent pipeline,” said Laurie Braxton, senior vice president and head of North Carolina operations, FUJIFILM Biotechnologies. “As North Carolina’s life sciences sector accelerates, collaboration between companies, workforce partners, and schools ensures that students can see, and step into meaningful careers right in their community. We’re grateful for Ms. Harden’s commitment to lifelong learning and for sparking curiosity about science, skilled trades, and advanced manufacturing among the next generation.”

Step Into the Field. Return to the Classroom With New Vision.

Harden learned about the fellowship through a colleague and was drawn to its focus on connecting teachers with industry professionals in the community.

“I believe this program will not only be self-fulfilling in my personal quest to expand my own learning but also incredibly beneficial to my fifth-grade scientists,” she said.

As part of the yearlong fellowship, Harden will receive 80 hours of professional development. Teachers awarded Kenan Fellowships receive $5,000 to support their work during the fellowship. Harden joins a statewide network of 680 Kenan Fellows alumni who support one another, share resources, and, as a result, stay in education longer.

“Communities benefit when professional development connects teachers to industry, and they bring that learning back to their students,” said Vance Kite, director of the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership. “We are grateful to NC BioNetwork for this investment in North Carolina’s teachers and students.”

About the Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership The Kenan Fellows Program for Teacher Leadership is a statewide force for teacher leadership and growth in North Carolina. Founded in 2000 and based at the Kenan Institute for Engineering, Technology & Science at N.C. State University, the program invests in teachers through immersive industry experiences, professional development, and a strong, enduring community. Every investment returns to classrooms, schools and communities, advancing education and our communities’ future together. Learn more at kenanfellows.org/about-us/