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Rachel Candaso, a Pitt County Schools middle school teacher and AVID coordinator, was named the 2025 Burroughs Wellcome Fund North Carolina Teacher of the Year at a ceremony in Cary on Friday.
Educators like Candaso “set the standard for achieving academic excellence in our public schools,” according to a press release from the N.C. Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
“You are all here today because you are excellent at your profession. And its not just a profession — it is a passion that extends far beyond the four walls of your classrooms,” state Superintendent Mo Green told the nine teacher finalists before announcing Candaso as this year’s winner.
“This year’s North Carolina Teacher of the Year believes in creating equitable opportunities to foster student success, regardless of circumstances or capacity. This teacher builds connections beyond the classroom, creating spaces where students feel seen and valued. …Our next North Carolina Teacher of the Year is committed to a vision of comprehensive student preparation — empowering educators, families and communities — to ensure all students are ready for success in a global society.”
State Superintendent Mo Green
During her acceptance speech, Candaso said she has found both a career and a calling at Pitt County Schools. She thanked God for the journey that brought her to teaching in North Carolina — and to being named Pitt County School’s first Teacher of the Year.
Candaso, 27, moved to Arizona from Guam with her family in fifth grade and is currently in her fifth year of teaching at Wellcome Middle School in Greenville. She moved to northeastern North Carolina from across the country during the pandemic because she was drawn “by the opportunity to contribute to addressing disparities in resources between rural and urban schools,” DPI’s release says.
“This honor is not just about recognition, but a reminder that when we lean into the gifts God has given us, no matter where we come from, we can make a difference exactly where we are planted,” she said.
Candaso is also a 2024-25 Kenan Fellows Program participant, according to DPI’s release, and active in the Teach for America organization, “having served as a storytelling fellow, advisory board member and corps member.”
She is passionate about rural education, reducing opportunity gaps, and working collectively as a community to prepare all students for their futures.
“I often remind my students that my goal is to prepare them for college and career success, so that no matter what their goal is in life or how often it may change, they have the skills to be resilient, capable, and ready,” Candaso said. “The work I do is not unique — it’s a reflection of what so many educators do across North Carolina each and every day. With this platform, I will continue to champion the idea that public education is not just an academic foundation, it’s a launch pad for life.”
“Ms. Candaso’s recognition as North Carolina Teacher of the Year is a testament to her hard work, passion, and belief in her students’ potential,” Pitt County Schools Superintendent Dr. Steve M. Lassiter Jr. said in a press release. “She has made history for our district and set a shining example for educators everywhere.”
‘That’s what makes this work so rewarding’
Candaso succeeds the 2024 Teacher of the Year, Heather Smith, a middle school math teacher in Haywood County Schools. On Friday, Smith encouraged all the regional teachers of the year to be authentic, lead with their schools and students in mind, stay rooted in their passion, and to lean on each other.
Smith also told the teachers to turn to and learn from their families, communities, school and state education leaders, students, and previous teachers and principals of the year.
“This work is never about one person, but the collective power of educators working together,” she said. “…Our students deserve to be loved, to be seen, and to be recognized for the great things that they do every day.”
The state has recognized “Teachers of the Year” since 1970, according to DPI. Candaso was one of nine regional teachers of the year in the running for the North Carolina Teacher of the Year title.
Here are the other regional teachers of the year:
- Southeast: Hannah Moon, Emsley A. Laney High School (New Hanover County Schools).
- North Central: Tamika J. Farmer, G. W. Carver Elementary School (Edgecombe County Schools).
- Sandhills: Dr. Anthony Martin, East Columbus Junior/Senior High School (Columbus County Schools).
- Piedmont-Triad: Chanel Jones, Broadview Middle School (Alamance-Burlington School System).
- Southwest: Yaronda Kilgo, Wingate Elementary School (Union County Public Schools).
- Northwest: Tayler Bomar, Greenlee Primary School (Mitchell County Schools)
- Western: Lydia Sale, West Elementary School (Swain County Schools).
- Charter School: Lindsay Phillips, Mountain Island Charter School.
At the start of Friday’s ceremony, State Board of Education Vice Chair Alan Duncan said educators like the regional finalists help make the state’s vision of preparing all students for their futures through equitable and rigorous education more of a reality.
The nine teachers who we are celebrating today exemplify the kind of teachers we would all like for our own children. …Congratulations to each one of you. You have made a remarkable achievement, and we are so proud of all that you’ve done. Our state, our parents, and our students are so thankful to you for the commitment that you’ve made.
State Board of Education Vice Chair Alan Duncan
As the teacher of the year, Candaso will travel the state as an ambassador for teachers and will serve as an advisor on the State Board of Education for two years.
She will also, according to the press release, “have the opportunity to participate in professional learning opportunities at the NC Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT), the National Teacher of the Year Conference and International Space Camp. She will also be able to attend the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference with support from the Digital Learning Initiative, as well as travel abroad through an endowment sponsored by Go Global NC. Candaso will receive a mobile device from Lenovo, an engraved award, financial support to serve as a liaison for North Carolina Public Schools, a monetary award from Bojangles and a gift from Carolina Hunger Initiative. She will also receive a prize package and recognition during an NC State Athletics football game.”
Among the many accolades of the award, Candaso said she is grateful for the work she gets to do as an educator, and for all the educators, administrators, mentors, and students who make her work possible.
“To my students, those who are in class right now, and to those who have moved on, you have played the most important role in making me the educator that I am today,” she said. “The light in your eyes, when you see your own growth, when you realize just how capable you are, that’s what makes this work so rewarding. I get to do what I love each and every day because of your belief in me. Thank you for letting me be a part of your journey.”
You can watch the ceremony in the video below. Candaso’s acceptance speech begins at the 2:12:35 mark.
