Wake schools internship grooms top-rate teachers

A group of students from Triangle colleges and universities is learning how the administrative side of North Carolina’s largest school system works. The students are part of the Leaders 4 Wake Internship program, a stepping stone to becoming a top-rate teacher.

St. Augustine's College junior Kiersten Phillips has been dreaming of becoming a teacher since she was in middle school.

“When you see them getting what you're teaching them, it makes you feel so good," Phillips said. “You feel like you've accomplished something.

Ashley Goolsby started the Leaders 4 Wake internship program, which includes students from St. Aug's, The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Shaw University and North Carolina Central University. She said that the program provides real-world skills.

“Students have the opportunity to work on their resume-building skills, their interviewing skills, they get customer service training, communications training,” Goolsby said.

Phillips, like the other students, say that kind of training is invaluable toward her goal of becoming teacher.

“Being a teacher, it's something you do every day,” Phillips said. “Working with little kids, they are funny, they are energetic, they are so smart. I'm really, really, really going to enjoy being a teacher.

Leaders 4 Wake launched last month and there are plans for a summer program.