Funding & Development
Future Teachers Have New Scholarship Opportunity at Wake Tech
Rep. Cynthia Ball and Dr. David Aspnes Fund Generous Scholarship Endowment
RALEIGH, N.C. (April 24, 2023) – Wake Tech is pleased to announce a generous gift designed to boost the number of teachers in classrooms across North Carolina.
State Rep. Cynthia Ball, who represents northwest Raleigh in the North Carolina House of Representatives, and her husband, North Carolina State University Distinguished University Professor of Physics Dr. David Aspnes, have established a $100,000 endowment with the Wake Tech Foundation that will provide scholarships for Wake Tech students pursuing an Associate in Arts in Teacher Preparation or Associate in Science in Teacher Preparation transfer degree.
The Ball-Aspnes Future Teachers Scholarship Endowment creates a permanent fund for high-performing current and incoming Wake Tech students who are focusing on a career in teaching.
Initially, the endowment will produce two Ball-Aspnes Future Teachers Excellence Award scholarships a year worth $2,000 each. Recipients will be known as Ball-Aspnes Scholars.
"We are proud and honored to be in partnership with Wake Tech to work to put more highly qualified teachers in North Carolina classrooms," Ball and Aspnes said.
"Wake Tech is so grateful for the support and generosity of Rep. Ball and Dr. Aspnes," said Wake Tech President Dr. Scott Ralls. "Because of this endowment, deserving teacher-prep degree students will have an opportunity to pursue their goal of becoming educators with less financial burden."
Wake Tech's Associate in Arts (AA) in Teacher Preparation and Associate in Science (AS) in Teacher Preparation degrees allow aspiring teachers to complete their first two years of general college education at Wake Tech, transfer to a four-year college or university to complete a bachelor's degree in education and then become licensed elementary, middle and high school educators.
The AA in Teacher Preparation is designed for those who want to teach in the humanities or social sciences and the AS in Teacher Preparation is tailored for those with an interest in STEM – science, technology, engineering and math.
Learn more about Wake Tech’s education programs at education.waketech.edu.
