Alumna is state’s ‘Rookie Art Teacher of the Year’

Alumna Pooja Nair has been named “Rookie Teacher of the Year” by the North Carolina Art Educators Association, the state’s largest advocacy group dedicated to supporting visual arts education. The NCAEA honors one beginning teacher each year who has made “an exemplary initial contribution” and “demonstrates the potential for development.”

Nair received her graduate certificate in art education from UNC Charlotte in 2019 and is now teaching at J.T. Williams Secondary Montessori School, where she is the CMS lead middle school art teacher.

“Enrolling in the graduate certificate program at UNC Charlotte was undoubtedly the most valuable step I took on my journey to becoming an art educator,” she said. “This well-structured program thoroughly equipped us for real classroom experiences. From the insightful clinicals and mock teaching sessions to the comprehensive lessons on pedagogy and engaging class discussions, not to mention the research papers that challenged us, all these elements contributed significantly to prepare me as an aspiring educator.”

Read more on the College of Arts + Architecture website.