Valencia Abbott is a passionate and seasoned educator with 21 years of classroom experience. She currently serves as the Social Studies Department Chair at Rockingham Early College High School in Wentworth, North Carolina, where she inspires students to think critically, act civically, and explore the powerful role of local history in shaping national conversations.
Valencia’s academic journey, rooted in a BA in Political Science–Pre-Law, has evolved over nearly two decades. It culminated in a master’s degree in Liberal Studies and a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in African American Studies from UNC Greensboro. Her commitment to educational excellence is further underscored by her Add-On Licensure in Academically/Intellectually Gifted Education from Duke University, a testament to her dedication to fostering excellence in all learners.
Valencia’s influence extends well beyond the classroom. She has been a part of esteemed advisory boards such as the NCSS Carter G. Woodson Book Award Selection Committee, the National Council for History Education Teacher Advisory Council, the Dan River Basin Association Board of Directors, and the NAACP. Her voice is not only recognized but also trusted and influential in the realms of education and community leadership.
Her impact has been recognized with numerous accolades, including being named the 2025 North Carolina History Teacher of the Year and the 2025 National History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Other honors include the 2024 Civil Rights/Civil Liberties Excellence in Teaching Award, RECHS 2024–2025 Teacher of the Year, the 2022 James Arthur Griggs Civil Rights Memorial Award, and the Outstanding Teacher of North Carolina History Award from the North Carolina Historical Society.
Valencia leads the groundbreaking project Civil Rights Movement Beyond 1968: Griggs v. Duke Power Company, using this landmark Supreme Court case to illuminate hidden histories and connect past injustices to today’s ongoing fight for equity. Through her storytelling and scholarship, she brings local history into national focus making it real, relevant, and resonant.
In 2024, Valencia’s commitment to historical truth and memory was recognized when she was named a United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Teacher Fellow. Her dedication continues as a member of the North Carolina Council on the Holocaust. In summer 2025, she furthered her commitment by attending the Summer Institute for Teaching the Holocaust at Kennesaw State University and was selected for the Fall 2025 cohort of the prestigious Women of the Shoah Fellowship.