Discover Your Next Professional Learning Community
Come Grow With Us
Wherever you are in your teaching career, we invite you to join our professional learning community.
Through immersive experiences and leadership training, you will gain the skills and confidence to cultivate meaningful relationships with industry professionals and become part of a diverse learning community of growth-minded teachers.
As a Kenan Fellow, you will experience professional development that is interactive, relevant, and reflective of current trends in education. Our professional development consistently ranks among the best in North Carolina.
90% of Fellows grew their ability to professionally network with other educators
578 Fellows in 74 NC counties from the mountains to the coast
100% of Fellows said the program made them a better teacher
Why Kenan Fellows?
Transformational Experiences
- Spend 3-weeks immersed in an industry/research setting
- Make connections between classroom skills and workforce skills and create resources to bring back to your school community
- Engage in 80 hours of high-value professional development
- Gain recognition as a Kenan Fellow to open new doors
- Earn a $5,000 stipend
Dynamic Professional Learning Communities
- Build lasting connections with educators and community partners
- Alumni share resources, guidance, and support
- Kenan Fellows staff provide caring and enduring assistance
- Cohorts consist of energetic and diverse educators from the mountains to the coast
Career-Changing Professional Learning
Our model pairs you with mentors from local industries or higher education institutions who offer firsthand insights and experiences into the workforce.
You will spend three weeks immersing yourself in your mentor organization’s culture, shadowing employees, touring their facilities, and exploring career pathways available for students.
Our professional learning institutes will then guide you in translating these immersion experiences into resources and programs for your school community, and in some instances, for your mentor organization.
Fellowship Timeline
| Application Period | Apply before or on Dec. 1, 2023 to receive priority consideration |
| Award Recipients Announced | May 7, 2024 National Teacher Day |
| Virtual Orientation | May 15, 2024 |
| Summer Institute | June 17-21, 2024, Cullowhee |
| Internship | July-August 2024 |
| Fall Institute | October 2024, Raleigh |
| Spring Institute & Celebration | April 17-18, 2024, Raleigh |
“The Kenan fellowship has been the most beneficial experience of my teaching career thus far.”
Keslie Sommerfeld, Biogen Foundation Kenan Fellow