Caroline Murrell (in red), our amazing SECU Public Fellows intern, spent her summer supporting Chatham students and teachers through CEF projects like Books on Break, CEF Teaching Grants, and book donation boxes. As a Chatham County native, this work was especially meaningful to her—and to us! Following is her reflection of her time with CEF:
Hi there!
My name is Caroline, and I’ve been working behind-the-scenes as an intern for the Chatham Education Foundation this summer. I am a rising senior at NC State University studying Psychology, Spanish, and Anthropology, and I am passionate about educational equity, community health, and justice reform. Through the SECU Public Fellows Internship program, I received grant funding to work with a nonprofit of my choosing this summer. I really wanted to intern with an organization that works to enhance opportunity and promote literacy in local public schools, which made CEF a great fit! As a Chatham County native, it was special to get the chance to work within my childhood school district.
This summer, I have worked on a variety of projects, which include helping with Books on Breaks fairs, creating social media content, researching grant opportunities, coordinating our new book donation boxes, and managing our donor database. I am super grateful to the entire team at CEF for their guidance throughout this process and their willingness to include me in a variety of interesting projects. Most importantly, I’m grateful for the passion, creativity, and commitment they put into supporting our local public schools. From Books on Break, to AVID, to the CEF Teaching Grants, CEF has collaborated with Chatham County Schools to provide all students, teachers, and families with more resources and opportunities to succeed. Through this internship, I’ve gained hands-on insights into using community outreach and engagement as a tool to promote educational equity.
This experience has deepened my appreciation for the role public education plays forming healthy and happy communities. With the threat of federal funding cuts looming over public school districts across the United States, there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the state of public education. Just last month, the Department of Education moved to freeze $165 million dollars in funding for NC public schools, which was eventually blocked by a federal lawsuit. Had the cuts been upheld, teachers and students across the state, particularly in rural areas, would have been heavily affected. Chatham County alone would have lost $587,603 in necessary funding. However, I’ve learned that even in the face of such challenges, strong community support can make a real difference in helping schools and students thrive.
CEF serves as an important bridge between the Chatham community and its schools by pooling resources—from individual donors, businesses, and grants—into programs that benefit students and families from all backgrounds. This work involves a lot of time, effort, strategy, and coordination, but is very effective in mobilizing resources. I’m proud to have been a member of an organization that is committed to strengthening our public schools through innovation and equity.