News from The Pearl

People of The Pearl meets STEM educator Jalavender Clowney When educator Jalavender Clowney first visited The Pearl in summer 2024, she wore a hard hat and safety vest as the steel and concrete structure was still being built. Today, she’s in the same space at the new K-12 STEM Lab, introducing students to the creative outlets and potential careers available to them. Clowney is a middle…

High school juniors in the Winston-Salem and Charlotte areas discover healthcare advancements and career opportunities at Advocate Health      In partnership with Wake Forest University School of Medicine, the College LAUNCH for Leadership Program hosted over 120 high school juniors at its MEDucation Day program…

People of The Pearl meets Tafline Arbor, Ph.D. The final day of Dr. Tafline Arbor’s anatomy class was unlike any other, as first-year medical students stretched their legs and minds for the inaugural Human Structure and Function Cup Competition at The Pearl. The competition was…

People of The Pearl meets Connect Labs Charlotte lab specialist, Shannon Taylor, Ph.D. When science needs a fix, she prints one. After a missing plastic fitting stalled a recent project, Shannon Taylor didn’t place an order. She solved it the way Connect Labs Charlotte was…

‘People of The Pearl’ meets Kate Burgess As the district programming and ecosystem development manager at The Pearl, Kate Burgess could spend any given day as an event designer, partnership builder, brand ambassador, community liaison and a district tour guide -- all before lunch. “The fun part…

‘People of The Pearl’ meets curriculum’s leader, Dr. Michele Birch Dr. Michele Birch had an early love for education, which she has now fostered into the development and implementation of a world-class and forward-thinking curriculum at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Charlotte, the…

‘People of The Pearl’ meets Sgt. Gerald Hunter At the heart of The Pearl’s vibrant and energetic campus stands Sgt. Gerald Hunter, a guardian whose warmth and resilience has touched and protected countless lives. More than just the lead Public Safety officer, Hunter is a…

‘People of The Pearl’ series spotlights how Nelson Rios bridges music, science and medicine If there’s one thing Nelson Rios wants students to know about music, it’s this: music comes from the heart and soul, and is fundamentally intertwined with science. Music is Nelson’s passion. He’s…

STEM Lab connects students with real-world STEM experiences, opening doors to careers they never imagined. Triniti Dismon was captivated walking into STEM Fest. The 12th-grader's interest was certainly piqued by a demonstration involving a bubbling plume of sub-zero cryogenic CO2 smoke – and she also…