From college to the classroom: Hannah Watkins’ Central Piedmont journey put her on the teaching path

After working as a stay-at-home mom for 12 years, Hannah Watkins was ready to go back to school. At Central Piedmont Community College, she found that teaching was her calling, following in her mother’s footsteps.

“When I first started at Central Piedmont, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do, but I knew that I wanted to do more with my life,” Hannah says. “I started slowly by taking just one or two classes at a time. When I realized I wanted to be a teacher, I contacted an advisor at East Carolina University, and I started working on the credits I needed to be able to transfer into that program.”

She received her associate degree from Central Piedmont in 2019 and graduated from ECU in 2025. She is currently in her first year of teaching third grade at Steele Creek Elementary School in Charlotte.

Hannah, who is originally from Freetown, Mass., but has lived in the Charlotte area for nearly a decade, utilized full-time online options at both Central Piedmont and ECU. That provided extra flexibility as she raised her three children.

Incidentally, it was her time at Central Piedmont that put her on the teaching path. 

“As I was going through my classes and learning how to be a good student, I saw how important education was,” she says. “I wanted to bring that education to our youth so that they could have a better future, too.” 

Hannah — known to her students as Mrs. Watkins — takes a deep personal interest in each one. Her classroom is bright and engaging, and the class even took a field trip to a Charlotte FC soccer game this year.  

“I chose to be an elementary school teacher because elementary school is where students get the foundation and love for learning,” she explains. 

Hannah’s journey at Central Piedmont reignited her own love for learning as well.

“It was the first time in a long time that I was excited about going to school,” she says.

She devoted herself to being an exemplary learner, taking advice from her instructors and using each class and lesson as a stepping stone toward her goal of attaining a bachelor’s degree. She communicated easily with both her instructors and advisors, who helped her get into the courses she needed to transfer. As a result, transferring credits to East Carolina was a seamless process.

She also received a Pell Grant to help pay for her tuition at Central Piedmont. While at ECU, she utilized a grant from the state supporting future teachers, meaning her entire college experience was very affordable.

Having unlocked her own potential, she is now helping a new generation discover theirs.

“My favorite thing about being a teacher is the students; they bring me a lot of joy,” Hannah says. “I love seeing when they learn something new and have that ‘aha’ moment. It's great knowing that I've made a difference in their lives.”