Wake principal named NC's new principal of the year

A Wake County principal is North Carolina's newest principal of the year.

Mariah Walker, principal of Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy in the Wake school system, was named the winner Friday during a luncheon at Umstead Hotel in Cary.

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction hosted the luncheon in conjunction with sponsor Wells Fargo.

The Wells Fargo North Carolina Principal of the Year receives several prizes and spends the following school year traveling the state as an ambassador for the principal profession. The travel is supported by the state and Wells Fargo.

The current principal of the year is Jason Johnson of Orange High School in Orange County Schools.

Johnson was recently named the National Association of Secondary School Principals 2026 National High School Principal of the Year.

The Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy is an early college school that students can enroll in as soon as sixth grade. Starting in ninth grade, students take classes at Shaw University. They can stay at the school for a a year after twelfth grade to earn an associate's degree.

It enrolls about 330 students this school year, according to DPI data, and has a men's academy counterpart.

Walker has been principal of the Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy since 2022.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green said Walkers leadership embraces students and staff, "creating an environment that fosters connection, promotes equity and deepens learning."

The Wake County Public School System has described Walker as having "championed academic excellence and post-secondary access, empowered students to lead with confidence, and built a culture where every student feels seen, supported, and capable of greatness" at the school.

Walker guided the school through a major transition from Saint Augustine's University as their college partner to Wake Technical Community College to Shaw University. Those abrupt changes were prompted by worsening educational conditions at SAU and the threat of the university losing its accreditation. The university had been the school's long-time partner since well before Walker arrived in 2022.

Walker describes her school's core as "lead, learn and serve."

She believes "proximity is possibility" --- that people's small actions can spread far and wide.

"I see myself as a servant leader," Walker said in an interview after the ceremony. "I serve the people that I work with and work for, first and foremost. I serve the students of Wake County in my school, and then I serve our teachers, and I serve our parents."

Parents are the first teachers, Walker said, and she tries to have her school reflect what parents want to instill in their children.

Walker emphasized believing in the potential of her fellow staff members and in the students. In her introductory video for the ceremony, Walker is featured asking a classroom of students if they believe they're smart, again and again, making sure the students enthusiastically respond, "Yes!"

"Ultimately, I want every student to believe that they have someone who just ridiculously believes that they are going to be the best person that they can be," Walker said after the ceremony.

Walker, who grew up in Raleigh, was a North Carolina Teaching Fellow at North Carolina State University.

She started her career as a teacher at Sanderson High School.

After earning master's degrees from NC State in curriculum supervision and leadership and in school administration, she served as an assistant principal at Sanderson and Pleasant Grove Elementary.

Before the Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy, Walker served as principal at Hilburn Academy, a pre-kindergarten through eighth grade school in Wake that specializes in science, engineering, technology and math. There, the district says Walker oversaw test score improvements, environmental and well-being initiatives, and the creation of a nursing room for employees returning to work from maternity leave.

She earned a doctorate degree in 2024.

After working in schools of all grade levels, Walker said she's learned being a principal is different everyday, but the students aren't as different deeper down.

"Students, regardless of their age, have very similar needs," she said. "They ask for it in different ways. You may have a kindergarten who's crying because they miss their mom or their dad on the first day, or you may have a senior who's just a little bit anxious about making it through to graduation."

Ahead of the announcement, Walker was praised for uplifting the people around her.

Walker leads "a complex school" and "extends that leadership far beyond that school," said Juan Austin, just before announcing Walker as the winner. Austin is Wells Fargo's senior vice president for philanthropy and community impact.

The nine finalists came from the state's eight geographic regions and from charter schools.

The finalists were:

• Kelly E. Flora, Nags Head Elementary School in Dare County Schools

• Marlow Artis, Craven Early College High School in Craven County Schools

• Mariah Walker, Wake Young Women's Leadership Academy in the Wake County Public School System

• Latreicia Allen, John Griffin Middle School in Cumberland County Schools

• Darrell A. Harris, Jr., Eastern Guilford High School in Guilford County Schools

• LaTresha Wilson, Tuckaseegee Elementary School in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools

• Dustin Farmer, Ashe County High School in Ashe County Schools

• Jennifer McBrayer, CHASE Middle School in Rutherford County Schools

• Deborah Brown, The Exploris School in Raleigh, a charter school