Shout Out! to Emersen, a senior at Wilson Early College Academy (WECA), for being one of six students from across the state selected to participate in a panel discussion with State Superintendent Catherine Truitt on Oct. 18! Superintendent Truitt unveiled the NC Portrait of a Graduate initiative on that date and then sat down with the students, as well as the state’s Teacher and Principal of the Year, for a panel discussion. The NC Portrait of a Graduate is an initiative that identifies the skills that students need in order to be successful after graduation. More than 1,000 people from across the state, including Emersen and 18 other representatives from the Wilson community, served on the committee that narrowed the competencies from 50 to seven. The identified competencies are - adaptability, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, empathy, learner’s mindset and personal responsibility. Emerson did a great job on the panel sharing her thoughts on how the competencies should be implemented in our schools. She was also quoted in an article by EdNC (click HERE to view the article). She represented WCS and WECA well, and we are so proud of her! Pictures of the panel and Emersen with Sneha Shah Coltrane from the NC Department of Public Instruction.