Dr. Heather Wright Honored with Gardner-Webb President’s Early Career Award

Assistant Professor of English Recognized for her Outstanding Instruction, Scholarship and Community Service

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—Dr. Heather Wright has received the Gardner-Webb president’s Early Career Award in recognition of her exceptional performance as an assistant professor. The award is presented to faculty members who have completed at least two, but no more than six years in rank at the University. 

The award’s primary focus is on the faculty member’s productivity in scholarship, creative discovery, and instruction that exceeds expectations. The honor also recognizes outstanding performance in professional development and excellence in service. The award includes an additional $1,000 from Gardner-Webb in professional development funds to be used during the 2025-26 academic year.

“Dr. Heather Wright demonstrates the spirit of academic excellence and student-centered teaching that defines Gardner-Webb University,” praised Gardner-Webb Interim President Nate Evans. “We are proud to celebrate her many contributions to our learning community.”

Wright has worked full time at GWU for three years and was an adjunct instructor for six years. She was nominated for the award by Dr. Chris Davis, professor and chair of the Department of English Language and Literature. He noted Wright’s dedication to her students’ success. “Her impact on students is tremendous, notably in her abilities to engage and support them,” Davis related. “She fosters a sense of community and respect in her classrooms, where her students feel welcomed and valued. Dr. Wright receives wonderful student feedback at all levels of her instruction, from first-year composition courses, to upper-level English and honors seminars, and graduate courses in English education.”

Further, Davis stated that through Wright’s instruction and support as the director of the English education program, 100% of English education graduates have passed EdTPA requirements in the last three years. Multiple graduates achieved the “highly qualified” designation, which makes them eligible for a teacher signing bonus. All are employed in either North or South Carolina.

Wright is humbled by the recognition and quick to give credit to her colleagues for their guidance and mentorship throughout her educational journey. She earned her Master of Arts in English from Gardner-Webb in 2011, and mentions the help she received from former English professor Dr. Matt Theado, along with current faculty members, Dr. Jennifer Buckner and Dr. Shea Stuart.

“I’m really proud to be part of the English program at Gardner-Webb,” Wright affirmed. “Dr. Theado really pushed me when I was looking at doctoral programs, and I wasn’t really sure where to go. He and Dr. Buckner and Dr. Stuart, over the years, gave a lot of great advice and were references for me. They were always great sounding boards. Seeing their passion for what they do and how they talked about their areas of interest meant a lot to me.”

While obtaining her master’s degree, Wright taught high school in Columbus, N.C., and was an adjunct instructor at Limestone in Gaffney, S.C. After earning her master’s, she was an adjunct instructor for Gardner-Webb and Isothermal Community College in Spindale, N.C. She left the high school setting and her adjunct positions in 2018 to pursue her doctorate at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, where she was also a graduate assistant. During a break, she came back home to Boiling Springs for a visit and saw Buckner riding her bike. They stopped to talk, and Wright received advice that helped her complete her graduate studies. “She asked me how my dissertation was going and I said, ‘I don’t know,’” Wright remembered. “Then she said, ‘Listen; how do you eat an elephant?’ The answer is ‘one bite at a time.’”

As Wright continued working on her dissertation through a global pandemic, she repeated Buckner’s phrase to herself. Since then, she’s shared that and many other nuggets of wisdom from Buckner with her students. “Dr. Buckner has always been amazing to me,” Wright emphasized. “I think the world of her, how intentional she is and how gracious and brilliant and—there aren’t enough words. I have this catalog of Dr. Jennifer Buckner advice I’ve gone to since I was 22 years old.”

She also appreciates Stuart, another colleague and former professor, for providing her with professional growth opportunities. “She made it possible for me to go to conferences over the years along with her,” Wright assessed. “If it hadn’t been for her, I wouldn’t have been able to go to them. She always made that possible. She gave me a leg up.”

Wright has been active in scholarship early in her career, offering nine presentations since 2022. The highlights include multiple presentations given at the annual conference for the National Council of Teachers of English, the American Reading Forum, the Journal of Literary Innovation Conference, and the Appalachian Studies Conference. Wright was named a 2021-22 Celia B. Godsil Grants in Place Fellow by the Rural Schools Collaborative for her project, “Rural Places and Rural Pages.” In addition, Wright co-authored an article published in the peer-reviewed journal, “American Reading Forum Yearbook 2023.” Other manuscripts are under consideration elsewhere as well, and Wright has IRB approval for a qualitative research study.

Outside of Gardner-Webb, Wright makes a direct impact on the local community by serving as an advisor for the official local chapter of Becca’s Closet, a national philanthropy that provides free prom and formal dresses to young women in need. The chapter is sponsored by Poplar Springs Baptist Church in Shelby, N.C., where Wright’s twin sister, Nicole Hamrick, is the minister of children and youth. In 2024, Gardner-Webb’s SGA approved the event as an outreach opportunity for its members.

Wright became involved with Becca’s Closet through one of her high school students in Columbus. He found out about the charity and decided to start one for his senior project. His dad had passed away, so he knew particularly about the financial hardships of single parents and thought there might be other families who couldn’t afford the extra expense of a prom dress. “He thought this would be phenomenal for our community,” Wright explained. “He and his mom and the science teacher and I started getting prom dresses. One prom dress at a time. We had 30 prom dresses and it just carried on from there.”

Wright also helped start a chapter of Becca’s Closet in Sylva, N.C., when she taught at Smoky Mountain High School. “I like being part of the dress closet because one of my students started our local chapter back in 2016,” Wright stated. “It was important to him, and it became incredibly meaningful to my students at Polk County Early College. It was something we all did together. We’d organize, set up, and work hard together. It’s been a blessing to be able to keep the closet going, but I’m only able to do so because my student started it. I’m only able to keep it going because of the amazing people at Poplar Springs Baptist Church who volunteer their time to help it run smoothly.”

She continued, “I’m always thrilled when Gardner-Webb students are able to participate in the closet. I’ve been fortunate to partner with Jessika Raduly and Hope Saunders in GWU Student Engagement, as well as members of SGA. I think our lives are made by how we choose to love the world around us. Small things, like a dress, can become something larger. It’s a practice that becomes a lifestyle, a step that becomes your walk.”

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu.