Taylor Blanton ’06,’12 MED loves that he gets to engage in discussions about the people and stories of the past in his classroom at Cardinal Gibbons High School, and help students understand how those things shape our current and future worlds. 

His passion for teaching history was recently honored with the 2025-2026 Lewis Award for Excellence in Teaching, one of the highest honors awarded to Catholic school educators by the Diocese of Raleigh in recognition of teachers who bring “deep commitment, generosity and love to the vocation of teaching.”

“I’m truly grateful and honestly a bit overwhelmed to receive this,” Blanton said. “There are so many educators doing incredible work every day. I’m deeply honored, but I see this as a reflection of the students I teach, the colleagues at Cardinal Gibbons whom I work with and the mentors who’ve shaped me.”

A two-time graduate of the NC State College of Education, Blanton knew early in life that he wanted a career where he would be able to work with youth thanks to a job as a swim coach and the example his mother set as a history teacher. 

Although his career path was set, he initially wasn’t sure which school he would enroll in to earn his degree. The College of Education, he said, ultimately stood out because he felt that it was full of thoughtful and hardworking people who “care more about doing the work, and doing it well, than about recognition.” 

One of his favorite things about his time in the College of Education was the way in which faculty took the time to get to know him as a person. So, when he decided to earn a master’s degree after three years of teaching, there was no question that he would return to NC State. 

“I knew that my professors in the College of Education cared about me. That always pushed me to work a little harder, ask another question, etc. That lesson stuck with me,” he said. “I try to be as open and as accessible to my students as possible so that they know I care about them as well.”

This post was originally published in College of Education News.