CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –When Emily Giardina found out that she was nominated for the 2023 N.C. Beginning Teacher of the Year Award, she felt a lot of emotions—but her number one feeling was surprise.
“I sent everything in, and I just thought, ‘okay, at least I can cross that off,’” she said. “And I didn’t expect to get a call.”
Every year, the award is given to one first-year teacher by the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching, or NCCAT. This is the fourth year that the organization will give out the award.
Each of the 115 school districts in North Carolina nominate a first-year teacher for the award. From the initial 115 nominees, Giardina is one of 27 finalists.
As a finalist, Giardina will attend an NCCAT professional development retreat in March. Judges will ask questions about teaching, building relationships and fostering community in the classroom.
“Awards are weird,” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever won awards before this. But it felt really good, because I do try really hard, you put a lot of work in, and it’s nice that that’s noticed.”
Giardina is the fashion design teacher at Carrboro High School. In her classes, students engage in every part of the design process, from the concept to the final product. One of her classes is currently working on making pairs of shorts.
But Giardina wasn’t always a teacher.
Giardina worked in the fashion industry in New York for 15 years before being laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic. She specialized in outerwear and has worked with brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Under Armour.
However, she said that besides the pandemic, there were other reasons that made her leave the fashion industry.
“I struggled a lot with knowing the waste it was creating, and there was so much talk about sustainability, but not much action,” she said.
She said she decided to go into teaching because she has always loved working with kids. While she lived in New York, she tutored children in Chinatown before going to work.
Giardina said she loves teaching at Carrboro High School and appreciates the community she has there.
She said that faculty from the school and the district, as well as her own students, have supported and encouraged her throughout the process.
“Working in fashion, it’s more about ‘how can you do it better,’ ‘how can you do it cheaper,’ ‘how can you do it faster,’” she said. “It’s like no matter how hard you worked, you didn’t always feel rewarded, so it was nice to be recognized.”
The winner and runner-up will be announced on March 9.