Abby Clark (middle) standing with her mentors, Becky Dubose and Brittany Haynes, at the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center. Photo by Cooper Bucha.
A University of Tennessee at Chattanooga student will walk in the footsteps of history and learn from today’s heroes after being awarded a Medal of Honor Teacher Fellowship.
Abby Clark, a junior from Franklin, Tennessee, was selected as the first preservice teacher to receive a fellowship from the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center (MOHC).
Majoring in Elementary Education and English as a Second Language, Clark will spend the next year visiting historical landmarks like Gettysburg National Military Park and the Atlanta History Center.
To bring history to life, fellows will be accompanied by Medal of Honor recipients and historians throughout their excursions.
“It’s my first official professional teaching opportunity,” Clark said. “It’s incredible that I have been given this opportunity in the first place. Part of me is like, ‘Why me?’ I’m really excited for it. I’m super thankful for the opportunity, which will open my eyes to the importance of history even more.”
Maranda Wilkinson, director of education at the MOHC, explained that the fellowship is designed to support teachers by building social networks, encouraging enthusiasm for history and helping them learn more about the stories of real people.
She explained the importance of Clark entering the workforce with this experience and how it aligns with the Center’s goals.
“To have a fellowship on your CV as you’re walking in for your first job is huge for a pre-service teacher,” Wilkinson said. “We want to be able to give back. As a teacher, I used to speak at industrial roundtables in our school district, the county and the chamber of commerce. We would always say education is a community effort.
“Now that I’m on the outside, in the community on the non-traditional side of education, it’s our job to give back and to ensure that education is a community effort. That’s why we see this. It’s a cool partnership with UTC.”
With it being the program’s first year accepting preservice fellows, Wilkinson recalled working closely with UTC to encourage applications for the position.
Top row from left: Scott Saunders, Abby Clark, Maranda Wilkinson, General B. B. Bell. Bottom row from left: Dr. Valerie Rutledge, Becky Dubose, Dr. June Scobee Rodgers, Brittany Haynes, Tom Mundell. Photo by Cooper Bucha.
Assistant Professor Lauren Santarelli, who taught Clark in a social studies methods course in the UTC School of Education, recommended her for the fellowship.
“She was really easy to communicate with. She also seemed to have this really big desire to constantly learn. She was very curious about how to better her practice as an educator,” Santarelli said. “You could see that in terms of her engagement in class and on her assignments. She would constantly apply different strategies in her own setting as an elementary educator. She really developed some quite amazing lesson materials.”
Clark will learn from two senior fellows, Becky Dubose and Brittany Haynes, who will serve as her mentors.
Dubose, a seventh and eighth-grade social studies teacher at Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts, completed the Medal of Honor Teacher Fellowship in 2024.
“I’m really excited because the fellowship was so important for me two years ago,” Dubose said. “I’ve been teaching for 21 years but it just brings new life, excitement and strategies. If I had that as a ‘brand new baby teacher,’ I’d say it’s really important to start with that love of strategy and that love of learning. I’m really excited for her to start her career with a fellowship that really pours into teachers.
“That’s another thing that I love about this fellowship. You feel valued and part of the community. It’s the value of teachers, what you do and the difference you can make—you feel that. To start her career that way is really exciting.”
Santarelli explained that this opportunity is a unique way to view history and reflects a strong partnership between UTC and the center.
“It’s such a great opportunity, especially for pre-service teachers because of the exposure to different ideas and to different perspectives,” she said. “Just a vast amount of knowledge will be really beneficial for her, especially as she moves on in her career as it relates to social studies too.”
Clark said her passion for history was newly discovered through Santarelli’s courses, but her passion for teaching began earlier in high school. She hopes this fellowship will help her educate and impact the next generation.
“I wanted to teach most of my life but I never really thought about doing it officially until I was in high school,” Clark said. “I had an English teacher—I feel like it’s always an English teacher—but she kind of saved my life. I didn’t really have any drive. I didn’t know what I wanted in my life. I was going through a really hard time, and she was the only person in my life who realized it.
“She was the reason that I got through that. She made me. I was originally majoring in Secondary English Education and changed it to elementary because I feel like you can start early and connect with the kids.”
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