ExplorNet News

BOONE, NC - While he was still a high school Computer Engineering and Networking student, Cory Efland began racking up the certifications and building his tech expertise. But he knew at the time that he wanted to teach.

Now, four years later, the young North Carolinian is graduating from Appalachian State University with a teaching degree and a desire to share his knowledge and skills with a new generation of techies. He's still looking for his first job, and opportunities this year have been slow to materialize as schools struggle with budgets and delay hiring decisions. But he's optimistic.

"In the classroom, I hope that I can simply make a positive impact on students, and hopefully provide them with a sense of direction," he says, adding that he specifically wants the opportunity to share what he knows about Information Technology. "I think that Computer Engineering Technology is an invaluable class as it gives students the chance to acquire industry level skills and certifications that will benefit them regardless of the transition they plan to make after high school."

Efland was a student of Greg Thoyre at Orange High School in Hillsborough. By the time he grauated in Spring 2005, he'd already earned his A+, Network+ and Linux+ certifications. He knew teaching was his career choice, and had been accepted to ASU for technology education. He was named a recipient of one of North Carolina’s Teaching Fellows scholarships, and his course was set.

"I had pretty well made up my mind that this was the path I wanted to pursue in college, after receiving the NC Teaching Fellows scholarship and getting into the university of my choice," he says.

Thoyre says he is not surprised.

"Cory was one of the best students I have ever had at Orange High School," Thoyre says. "He was bright, interested, and motivated.  He always did his best, which was always more than what was asked.  Outside of class, he was a model citizen, always willing to help others and to give back to his school and community. 

"He will make a wonderful teacher.  We are lucky to have him in CTE."

Efland has done his student teaching with Hank Hardin at Avery High School. Avery County's strong Computer Engineering program has been a great exposure to hands-on learning where students provide tech support and even build computers for the school district.

Efland says he's learned that even students who don't pursue careers in the IT industry can benefit from what they learn in a computer technology course. And he's learned other lessons from his teachers and mentors.

"One of the most important things that I have learned from Mr. Thoyre, and Mr. Hardin is that creating connections with your students is a key step to their success," he says. "The better of a connection you make with students, the more likely they are to succeed, and go above and beyond what is expected. I can only hope that I am as successful in pushing my students to higher levels of achievement as I see Mr. Thoyre and Mr. Hardin do every day."

For more information, contact Robin Fred via e-mail at rfred@qtlcenters.org or call him at 888.507.3800.