Cianna Washburg, an English Language Arts teacher at Charlottesville Middle School, has been selected as a member of the 2026 Virginia Humanities K-12 Educator Fellowship cohort. 

As one of six fellows selected statewide, Washburg will spend nine months developing two learning experiences aligned with the Virginia Standards of Learning while collaborating with Virginia Humanities staff and fellow cohort members. All Virginia Humanities K-12 Educator Fellows receive a stipend of $4,250.

Through her fellowship project, Stories of Migration: Virginia Voices of Refuge, Resistance, and Resilience, Washburg will design instruction that centers the voices and lived experiences of refugees and migrants. Using the historical novel Refugee by Alan Gratz as an anchor text, she will guide students in analyzing how stories of migration are told across time, place, and perspective. She will also build standards-aligned instruction that allows students to demonstrate mastery of key skills including reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

“Through this fellowship, my goal is to help my students connect global stories of migration to Virginia-based voices and experiences, so they can see how themes of refuge, resistance, and resilience exist within their own communities,” Washburg said. 

Students will engage with a range of texts—including oral histories, interviews, and informational sources—to better understand the challenges, resilience, and contributions of migrant communities. 

“Ms. Washburg's selection as a Virginia Humanities fellow is a perfect reflection of how she is always learning, always growing, and always putting her students at the center of the story,” said CMS principal Rodney Jordan.

Washburg has taught at Charlottesville City Schools for 11 years. She was named the 2024-25 Buford Middle School Teacher of the Year and, in 2020, won the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching for Walker Upper Elementary School. She was also a recipient of a Fund For Teachers fellowship to work with refugee youth while developing culturally responsive teaching strategies. 

Learn more about the winners of the 2026 Virginia Humanities K-12 Educator Fellowship.