Megan DePasquale, of Albemarle, North Carolina, was awarded the Leslie Dunn Memorial Scholarship. She is currently a student in the Education Specialist in Education Administration (Ed.S.) program, which is housed in the Reich College of Education’s (RCOE) Department of Leadership and Educational Studies.
“I am honored to be the recipient of the Leslie Dunn Memorial Scholarship,” said DePasquale. “To know that the faculty of my program voted to award me this means a great deal to me.”
“All of their teachings have influenced or guided me to be successful in my professional endeavors,” she added. “Dr. Barbara Howard shared with me that Leslie Dunn believed that every child is a promise, which I also absolutely believe, and I have focused my career on being driven for all children to succeed.”
The Leslie Dunn Memorial Scholarship provides scholarship support to in-state graduate students who are working toward an Ed.S. degree. The scholarship was established by the Dunn family to honor their daughter, who was a three-time alumna of Appalachian.
DePasquale earned her graduate certificate add-on in school leadership in 2017 from Appalachian. After completing the program, she was hired and began work as an assistant principal at South Stanly High School. In 2018, she was named principal at Millingport Elementary School. She returned for the Ed.S. because the “school administration faculty adequately prepared me for school leadership, and I wanted to learn more about district leadership from them.”
She chose Appalachian because “while I have attended class online, I have been made to feel like I am a traditional Appalachian student.”
“My professors have always been available to me, have supported me in pursuing my professional career, and most importantly cared about me as a person,” she continued. “Through my studies at Appalachian, I have been inspired to constantly give my best to my students and staff.”
After graduation, DePasquale intends to continue her studies to earn her doctorate in education and to work with the North Carolina public school system.
“I will use the knowledge, skills, and expertise I have gained during my time at Appalachian to contribute to the education community after graduation,” said DePasquale.
“I will use the knowledge, skills, and expertise I have gained during my time at Appalachian to contribute to the education community after graduation,”
In addition to the Leslie Dunn Memorial Scholarship, DePasquale received the Jerome H. Melton Scholarship for Teaching and School Administration. Previously, she was the recipient of the Mary Kistler Memorial Scholarship.
DePasquale was also a Stanly County Schools Principal of the Year Nominee and Top 5 Finalist for the 2019-2020 School Year.
“As Principal at Millingport Elementary School, we went from a “D” to a “B” in school performance and Exceeded Growth in under a school year,” said DePasquale. “We earned an award for Best Turnaround in Stanly County Schools for the 2018-2019 school year. Also, as Principal at Millingport Elementary School, we ranked 151st in Growth statewide which put us in the Top 6% of Growth statewide for the 2018-2019 school year.”
Megan DePasquale
