The UNC School of Education is relaunching its Bachelor of Arts in Education in elementary education program, with classes beginning fall 2026. The program, developed by top researchers and practitioners and with the diverse needs of North Carolina’s elementary students in mind, will prepare highly effective teachers to create impact in today’s — and tomorrow’s — classrooms.
The Well talked to three Carolina alumnae about their experiences in the elementary education program and how it set them up to succeed and serve students in North Carolina and beyond.
Name: Ashton Clemmons ’05
Position: Associate vice president for strategy and policy, UNC System
Ashton Clemmons’s inspiration to teach came from a teacher she had in second and fourth grade.
“She valued me as an individual student. I felt like I was her favorite person in the world,” said Clemmons. “At that point in my life, I wanted to be a teacher, and I pretended to be Miss Everhart with my dolls. She was the person who made me see the way I would want students to feel in my classroom.”
At Carolina, Clemmons was a North Carolina Teaching Fellow and completed her student teaching at Club Boulevard Elementary School in Durham. Before her current role, she served North Carolina schools as a teacher, school principal, central office administrator, assistant superintendent and a state representative.
As a teacher, Clemmons poured herself into the lives of her 23 students both in the classroom and by supporting them at their sporting events on the weekends. She still meets with students she taught 20 years ago to get coffee and catch up on their lives.
“The School of Education created the vehicle to take this passion and figure out what that looks like for you. I got to do that at an institution with such high-quality people with so much passion and energy,” said Clemmons. “I believed then and still believe now that our best chance at building a world, democracy and society where more people can succeed depends on a high-quality public education system that gives every child a chance to succeed. I was drawn to it because I wanted to change the world and didn’t feel there was a stronger place to do that than public schools where every child, no matter what, has a chance.”
Name: Kathlene Holmes Campbell ’99, ’04 (MEd)
Position: Chief executive officer, National Center for Teacher Residencies
Kathlene Holmes Campbell came to Carolina intending to major in business, but she really enjoyed participating in an after-school tutoring club for elementary school students.
“I called my dad out of the blue and told him, ‘I think I want to be an educator,’ Campbell said. “My 18-year-old self marched into my adviser’s office the next day and changed my major to elementary education. It was the best decision I have ever made in my life.”
Campbell taught kindergarten at Pizzo Elementary School in Tampa, Florida, and Seawell Elementary School in Chapel Hill while pursuing her master’s degree. She then went to Florida State College at Jacksonville for seven years, serving in various roles while creating the first early childhood bachelor’s degree for that university. She earned her doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Texas at Austin in 2016. She also worked for the National Center for Teacher Residencies and as dean of education for the University of St. Thomas before her current role.
“I credit UNC with starting me on this path. I think if you want to make a difference in the world, I can’t imagine doing anything but becoming an educator. All of us have been touched by teachers,” said Campbell. “When I look back on my career, there is not one day when I regretted becoming an educator. I feel like I’ve helped prepare future generations and leaders of our country. I don’t think there is anything more meaningful I could ever do to give back to the community.”
Whitney Maxwell ’09 believes in starting children off on the right foot – whether through education or personal development. She loves planting the seed of learning in her students’ early educational journeys. (Submitted photo)
Name: Whitney Maxwell ’09, ’13 (MEd)
Position: Fifth grade teacher, Morris Grove Elementary School
In December 2025, Whitney Maxwell received the 2025 Margaret Kepner Distinguished Service Award from the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Public School Foundation.
Maxwell says she loves how each individual student and every cohort of students is different.
“During their first years of school, you have such a huge influence on their learning and relationships. Hopefully you’re able to plant a seed of a love of learning early that they can carry with them,” said Maxwell. “I want to be that person in a child’s life that they know is cheering them on and is there for them.”
Maxwell also appreciates how the elementary education program showed her how to teach multiple content areas in an elementary setting.
“I felt very knowledgeable leaving UNC just in terms of research and my understanding of best practices,” said Maxwell. “Something that sticks out to me about the program is the very well-rounded approach. We didn’t only learn about the academic aspect of teaching content, but we also learned about development, working with students of diverse backgrounds and connecting with families across all types of communities.”