Díaz selected as a 2026 Grants in Place awardee

Yesica Díaz was selected as the Southeast recipient of the Rural Schools Collaborative 2025-26 Grants in Place award. Díaz is a Spanish middle school teacher at Bertie County Middle School, one of the East Carolina University Rural Education Institute‘s university-assisted community schools.

As part of the award, Díaz will receive a $2,500 grant to support her student-center, place-based project, “From My Classroom to Yours.” This project will create a cross-cultural exchange between Díaz’s students and students in her home country of Colombia, where students will exchange letters, videos and engage in virtual meetings to share aspects of their daily lives, traditions, schools and communities. The goal is to develop students’ own understanding of place while fostering empathy, global awareness and appreciation for diversity. Students will compare agriculture, music, food and traditions in both regions, discovering common values and unique identities.

Díaz is one of 31 rural educators selected for the 2026 cohort of Grants in Place awardees. The program began in 2015 and has given over $700,000 supporting more than 200 teacher-led projects. In addition to the grant, Díaz will meet virtually with her cohort to share updates, receive professional development and celebrate learning after the projects’ completion.

Information and photo provided by the Rural Schools Collaborative.