Partnerships make opportunities possible for our students.
Martin County Schools will soon offer more cutting-edge, innovative opportunities for high school students thanks to the generosity of a major university in the east.
Thank you to Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) for making a new flight path for high school students. Martin County High School is one of five high schools in the state to receive resources
valued at over $60,000 each to launch or expand aviation and drone programs. ECSU will also provide all training at no cost for teachers to implement the programs.
This new path begins with students in the classroom and leads them all the way to the cockpit.
“This initiative is about planting seeds of opportunity where they are needed most,” said Kuldeep Rawat, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Science, Aviation, Health, and Technology at ECSU and Project Director on the FAA grant. “We’re empowering students to see aviation not just as a concept in a textbook but as a career path they can pursue.”
Designed to support hands-on learning and expand access to high-demand aerospace careers, the initiative reflects ECSU’s role as North Carolina’s only four-year institution offering a degree in aviation science. The selected schools demonstrated strong leadership support, curriculum integration strategies, and long-term plans to sustain their programs.
Rawat emphasized that this effort goes beyond providing equipment. “It’s about building new pathways for student learning, pipelines to college, and expanding career opportunities in aviation and aerospace,” he said.
“Partners like Elizabeth City State University make it possible for us to remove roadblocks from the futures of our students,” explained Dr. Michelle White, Superintendent of Martin County Schools. “We are so grateful for their support.”
“These priceless resources may reveal career options to our students that many never dreamed of. And with their campus and specialized programs less than two hours away, those options can become a reality for our students. ”
This initiative is made possible through its Aviation Workforce Development initiative, funded by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The other schools selected through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process include: South Central High School in Pitt County; C.S. Brown High School STEM in Hertford County, and Northeastern High School in Pasquotank County.
Through this award, ECSU will provide each school with desktop flight simulators, software, educational supplies, project kits, learning materials, computers, virtual reality hardware, pilot ground school prep kit, and teacher professional development to build sustainable, future-focused aviation programs.
The RFP process, launched in April, invited high schools to share their vision for integrating aviation into STEM and Career and Technical Education (CTE) programming. ECSU reviewed applications for innovation, feasibility, student engagement, and a sustainability plan to maintain the program beyond the grant.
With this announcement, ECSU continues to elevate its mission: to prepare the next generation of pilots, engineers, drone operators, and innovators—starting with today’s high school students.
“By supporting high schools with the tools, training, and technology they need, we’re helping to close the opportunity gap and expand access to high-demand STEM careers across the state,” said Rawat.
Learn more about ECSU’s Aviation Workforce Development programs at www.ecsu.edu/academics/develop-aviation.php.