Mackenzie Conaway Steps Up to Lead, Learn, and Connect Across North Carolina | Eastern NC Now

Press Release:

Mackenzie Conaway, dual-enrolled at Northside High School, will serve as Beaufort County Community College’s Student Government Association president for 2025–2026.

    WASHINGTON, N.C.    Beaufort County Community College is welcoming a new student leader with a passion for education. Mackenzie Conaway, a dual-enrolled student at Northside High School who plans to become an elementary school teacher, will serve as president of the Student Government Association (SGA) for the 2025-2026 academic year.

    Conaway is no stranger to leadership. At Northside, she was active in Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), where she competed at state conferences and connected with students across North Carolina.

    "I got to meet a ton of new people from FBLA," she said. "We went to the state conference. I've actually been three times now. You just meet people from different regions of North Carolina, and they all have their own unique leadership styles, so you get to learn from that. And there are also a lot of business professionals there that you can learn from."

    She sees her SGA role as a continuation of that growth. "In SGA, I'm hoping from the conference meeting we're going to this month to gain more leadership skills to apply here, and at the bigger leadership conference we're going to in October," she said. "I'm just excited to hear from other people, because I want to see what they're doing at their colleges, to kind of bring that here in a way."

    This summer, Conaway also took part in the East Carolina University College of Education's PIRATE (Pirate Institute for Regional Aspiring Teachers & Educators) program. The three-day residential experience introduced high school students to teaching careers through workshops and campus life.

    "They taught us all about what the realm of education looks like if you're hoping to pursue that," she said. "I want to go into elementary education, so it was a good experience. We got to learn about lesson plans, basically everything that teachers do for us. It was also helpful to learn what ECU offers in scholarships."

    Her passion for teaching comes from watching her father command a classroom. "My dad is a third grade teacher at Bath. I've been in his classroom multiple times, pretty much all the time last year. I created bonds with his kids and watched him teach, and I was like, wow, I think I want to have the same impact that he has on his kids."

    Conaway plans to transfer to East Carolina University after completing her studies at Beaufort CCC to pursue a degree in elementary education.

    She also appreciates the unique opportunities that come with being a dual-enrolled student. "It's definitely a different experience than a lot of just regular high school people have," she said. "You get more freedom because you get to come here and get the college experience, but also have the high school experience, being able to do sports and things like that. So, it's nice being able to do both."

    From conferences to classrooms, Conaway is ready to take lessons from her peers, and, through her leadership, inspire the next generation.

• Attila Nemecz
• Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator
• Beaufort County Community College
• 5337 U.S. Highway 264 East
• Washington, N.C. 27889
• Ph: 252-940-6387
• Cell: 252-940-8672
• attila.nemecz@beaufortccc.edu