South Africa Institute: Meet the Team
About the South Africa Institute | South Africa Team | South Africa Itinerary | South Africa Blog Entries
2025 South Africa Institute Participants
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Stephanie Benner 4th Grade Teacher McGee’s Crossroads Elementary School, Johnston County Hobbies: I love to travel with my family (especially to the WNC mountains), watch my two boys play ball, and cook delicious food when I can! Looking forward to: I am looking forward to experiencing the cultures and ecosystems I never thought I’d get to. South Africa is a bucket list adventure, and I am so excited to share what I learn with my students and team! I think being able to learn from different people and places is one of the most valuable human experiences. Plus, seeing my favorite animal, giraffes, will be a dream come true! |
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Flavia Burton M.L. Teacher Ocracoke School, Hyde County Hobbies: Travel, fusing glass, walking and reading. Looking forward to: I am looking forward to experiencing the adventure of new landscapes, wildlife, coastlines and cities as well as learning about the culture, people and history. |
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Khadijah Daniels Teacher Wellcome Middle School, Pitt County Hobbies: I enjoy playing basketball. Looking forward to: I am looking forward to traveling to Africa and putting together an assignment I can bring back into the classroom for my students. |
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Shannon Russell Hardy Math Teacher Wake Young Men’s Leadership Academy, Wake County Hobbies: I enjoy listening to books, cycling/mountain biking, hiking, swimming, and planning adventures. I love to connect newbies to the outdoors, and any plan that puts me outside. I am a co-founder of Wake County Community Remembrance Project working to reconcile Wake’s true history of racial terror, and on the board East Wake Education Foundation fundraising for free pre-K education for our economically disadvantaged children in eastern Wake County. Looking forward to: I look forward to exposure to an entirely new ecosystem. Awareness of all of the things I don’t know or never thought about in their system. More importantly meeting the people of South Africa. They have endured extraordinary challenges including apartheid, poaching, catastrophic droughts, fires, water shortages – and still protected the BIG FIVE. As our own National Parks are under fire I want to understand how they experience their environmental and social change. We are all connected to a place or places, and these connections are part of what define us. |
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Ashley Jesse Social Studies Teacher Greene Central High School, Greene County Hobbies: Taking my dogs for walks, reading, napping, and shopping. Looking forward to: I can’t wait to meet new people and experience new cultures. I want to bring exciting, first-hand experiences to my students that may never get to leave our small community. And seeing a lioness wouldn’t be dull. |
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Emily Ludlum Teacher Wallace Elementary School, Duplin County Hobbies: Being with my family, playing with my dogs, exploring new places, & listening to music. Looking forward to: I am looking forward to exploring the natural landscapes and wildlife of South Africa and getting to know my travel buddies along the way. Whale watching is what I’m most anticipating. I am also hoping to enrich and add to my own classroom instruction using what I learn and experience on this trip. |
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Shelley Marshall E.C. Behavior Specialist Asheville Middle School, Buncombe County Hobbies: Reading, canoeing, hiking and adventuring. Looking forward to: I am looking forward to meeting new people and learning about their culture. I am so excited to explore the Drakensberg Mountains and see San rock art in the caves and sheltered areas of the mountain range. I have discovered from my reading that 40% of all the San rock art in South Africa is within the Drakensbergs. I cannot wait to see the beautiful African landscape. I have always dreamed of visiting Africa. Africa is an epic journey; a once in a lifetime experience. I want to feel the Berg winds rushing towards me as I travel dry and hot under the great expanse of the African sky. I want to taste the melding of African, Dutch and Asian flavors in regional dishes like the savory Bobotie and Sosaties and the sweet Dutch pastries vetkoek and melktert. I have read that the cuisine of South Africa is a huge part of family traditions using local ingredients and shared recipes. I look forward to hearing the hard rapping of a shoebill in the bush or the bark of a baboon in the trees. The sounds of drums, and the rhythms of life. I love African music especially Amapiano which is a blend of jazz, soul and house music. The percussive beats and blending synthesizers are unique and beginning to spread around the globe. Ayra Star, Tyla and Major League DJz are some of my favorite artists from this genre. I look forward with olfactory anticipation to the smells of the bushveld, floral and musky, and the unique scent of a leopard’s urine which supposedly smells like popcorn. I want to see with my own eyes Cape Town with its sweeping vistas, the Drakenbergs, Johannesburg with its city lights and the camps which will offer my eyes a feast of scenery to savor for the rest of my life. And lastly I want to carry Africa home with me in my memories and connections. I want to learn on this journey…about places, people and customs strange to me. I want to immerse myself in Africa and wring every experience possible out of this opportunity. |
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Amy Ross Science Educator East Rutherford High School, Rutherford County Hobbies: Photography, Pyrography, Weaving, Painting, Drawing. Looking forward to: My biggest hopes for this trip are seeing the animals of South Africa up close and personal, meeting teachers from other places and collaborating our ideas, getting some great photos of the experience, learning the culture and history including the painted rocks, trying my hand at Vlogging connecting with my county schools on the trip, and bringing back a wealth of knowledge to use in my lessons and energize my classroom. |
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Lindsay Smith Biology Instructor North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics – Morganton, Burke County Hobbies: Hiking, kayaking, cooking, photography, travel, chasing a 2-year-old. Looking forward to: Where do start??? I am most looking forward to the wildlife we will see. I am excited to take pictures, learn more about them, and gain a better understanding for how their populations are managed. I am also really excited about learning more about the culture in South Africa, meeting new people, trying new foods, and interacting with the teachers from South Africa. |
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Pam Stanley 3rd Grade Teacher B.F. Grady Elementary School, Duplin County Hobbies: Singing, reading, watching tv, listening to music, bowling, playing cards, having fun. Looking forward to: I am looking forward to experiencing it ALL!! I’m excited for the safaris and whale watching. I’m SUPER excited just to visit, see, and experience the culture and FOOD of South Africa and the people there. |
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Christine Sudzina Schut 6-8 AVID Teacher Culbreth Middle School, Orange County Hobbies: Tennis, Traveling, Burn Boot Camp, Hiking, Gardening, Reading, Concerts & Comedy Shows. Looking forward to: I’m so excited to travel to South Africa for the very first time! I can’t wait to go on safari, hopefully spot the Big Five, and soak in the breathtaking landscapes and vistas. I’m also really looking forward to bonding with my fellow North Carolina educators and building connections with South African educators. I’m eager to try new foods, experience vibrant cultures, and bring back fresh perspectives to inspire my students and enrich my teaching. |
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Michael Warholik Assistant Principal Conn Magnet Elementary School, Wake County Hobbies: Travel, photography, gardening, thrifting. Looking forward to: I’m really looking forward to experiencing all the natural beauty South Africa has to offer. Seeing the Big 5 in their natural habitat will be such an unforgettable experience, and I feel lucky to have the chance to witness it. I’m also excited about the cultural side of the trip—especially the time we’ll spend with local educators. I think it will be a great opportunity to learn more about South African culture, education, and everyday life, and I’m eager to bring those insights back with me. This feels like the perfect mix of adventure and learning, and I can’t wait to take it all in. |
South African Educators
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Noma Shabalala Chairperson Sakhile Center of Learning, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa Hobbies: Walking and cooking. Looking forward to: I am looking forward to getting new information and learning, as I’m engaged in education issues every day. I am very excited as I have never been away from my home for more than 5 days. |
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Zinhle Shabalala Early Childhood Development Practitioner and Supervisor Sakhile Center of Learning, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa Hobbies: Hiking, playing, singing, being with my family. Looking forward to: I am looking forward to travelling and seeing all of the places and the nature, and learning. I am very excited, as this will be my first time seeing some of these places. |
Alternates
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Jonathan Arp 6-8 Band Director Rose Hill-Magnolia Elementary School, Duplin County Hobbies: Music, Video Games, Cooking, Travel. Looking forward to: I am looking forward to learning about South African culture, as well as the chance to see beautiful animals in their natural habitat! |
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Wendy Hall Kindergarten Teacher Fairview Elementary School, Union County Hobbies: Hiking, biking, swimming, kayaking, reading, backpacking, spending time with family and friends. Looking forward to: If/when I have the opportunity to go to South Africa, I am excited to see all the big animals my kindergarteners dream about! I also look forward to experiencing and learning more about another country and culture. |
Trip Leaders
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Emma Blackford Head of Prairie Ridge Ecostation NC Museum of Natural Sciences Hobbies: Bird watching, hiking, reading, photography. Looking forward to: I am most looking forward to connecting with our North Carolina and South Africa teachers as we dive into topics ranging from natural history and ecology to culture and history. South Africa’s wildlife, landscape management practices, and culture are wonderfully diverse, and I can’t wait to experience them through the eyes of our teachers. On a personal note, I’m also excited to see some new-to-me birds! |
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Christy Flint Director of Education NC Museum of Natural Sciences Hobbies: Cooking, kayaking, reading. Looking forward to: Exploring South African ecosystems and culture with this group of talented and dedicated North Carolina educators. |
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Andrew Torlage Guide, Vakasha Africa Hobbies: Hiking, running, reading, birding. Looking forward to: Seeing the reaction of folks visiting South Africa for the first time. |