An educator who leads five successful charter schools in Atlanta has been honored by the General Alumni Association of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
An educator who leads five successful charter schools in Atlanta has been honored by the General Alumni Association of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
David Jernigan, executive director of KIPP (Knowledge Is Power Program) schools in Atlanta, received a Distinguished Young Alumni Award Friday (Oct. 7) for bringing credit to the University through his achievements.
“The remarkable accomplishments of many of Carolina’s younger alumni such as David are truly inspiring,” said Douglas Dibbert, association president.
The Elizabeth City native attended the University on what is now the Morehead-Cain Scholarship, a full, four-year merit award, and graduated in 2000 with a business degree. He became interested in teaching during a summer internship in Houston as part of the scholarship’s enrichment program.
After graduating, he taught in Atlanta with Teach For America, a nonprofit organization that attracts high-achieving recent college graduates to teach in struggling schools.
Jernigan founded KIPP WAYS Academy in Atlanta in 2003 and recruited elementary students from low-income neighborhoods with high dropout rates. Within five years, the school had been named the state’s No. 1 “No Excuses” school by the Georgia Public Policy Foundation.
“We believe your ZIP code does not have to define your destiny,” Jernigan said.
He received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award from the Kenan-Flagler Business School in 2003.
As a UNC student, Jernigan was president of the Residence Hall Association, which represents students’ housing interests and develops social, educational and service programs for residence halls. As president, he led the effort to allow female residents in Old East and Old West.
Since 1989, the General Alumni Association’s Distinguished Young Alumni Awards have recognized alumni age 40 or younger whose accomplishments have brought credit to the University. A roster of past recipients is available at http://alumni.unc.edu/awards.
KIPP: Metro Atlanta website: http://www.kippmetroatlanta.org/index.asp
Photo: http://uncnews.unc.edu/images/stories/news/campus/2011/dya2011_jernigan2839.jpg
GAA contact: Douglas Dibbert, (919) 962-7050, doug_dibbert@unc.edu
News Services contact: LJ Toler, (919) 962-8589