This Wake County educator has won honors as NC Principal of the Year
Mariah Walker has been chosen as North Carolina’s 2026 Principal of the Year for her work at Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy, bringing a top educational recognition to Raleigh.
In a flurry of hugs and handshakes, Walker spoke of her “Southern roots and English teacher’s heart,” coming from an old-fashioned Raleigh with more trees, more dirt roads and more than one K&W Cafeteria.
Her education career spans two decades in Wake, including four years as principal of the Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy — the district’s only single-gender school for girls.
“Every student deserves a school to grow, to thrive and most of all belong,” she said Friday, accepting her honor at The Umstead Hotel in Cary. “We are a thread, and while one thread may seem weak, my friend, it is when we weave it together that we create something beautiful.”
Walker stood among nine finalists from across the state, having been chosen from the North Central region late last year. She joins Elena Ashburn from Broughton High School in Raleigh, who until Friday was the only Wake County principal to win.
The Wake Young Women’s Leadership Academy allows female students to take single-gender courses in middle and high school before taking courses at Shaw University
Before the 2026 winner was announced, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mo Green praised all nine finalists, telling Walker, “Your leadership embraces students and staff as the complex beings they are.”
Gov. Josh Stein praised all nine finalists via video message, noting he will press the General Assembly for “real” teacher pay raises.
“When you succeed, our teachers succeed,” said Stein. “And when our teachers succeed, our students succeed.”
Alan Duncan, vice president of the state Board of Education, echoed this, noting a principal’s unique ability to lead young minds through seminal moments.
“They are all special and destined to be remembered by many,” Duncan said. “What a gift to have positively impacted the lives of so many.”
This story was originally published May 15, 2026 at 2:40 PM with the headline "This Wake County educator has won honors as NC Principal of the Year."