Extending a Mother's Legacy 

The Sandra Feagan Stern Fellowship was established by Kyle Blackmon, in honor of his mother, Sandra Feagan Stern (Ed.D. ’85). Presented as Sandra’s Mother’s Day gift, Kyle established the fellowship last spring to extend his mother’s legacy and to “help facilitate the preparation of the next generation of educators.”

Sandra raised Kyle and his sister on her own, while working full time as a public school teacher, as well as earning a doctorate in Education Administration and Supervision from the Curry School. Noticing the dire need for educational resources in her community, Sandra established the Halifax County Continuing Education Center, which she initially operated from her home office. Now known as the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center, the center is located in a 70,000 square foot facility in South Boston and offers more than 35 degree granting programs. Its mission is to promote lifelong learning and empower the residents of Halifax County to achieve a better life. 

Sandra also launched the center’s Volunteer Literacy Program, which has made great strides in combating the adult illiteracy rates still in the area. “My mom had both the courage to dream and the commitment to execute,” Kyle said in a luncheon presentation of the fellowship last spring. 

Sandra now works for the Citigroup Private Bank as the managing director of its Multiple Residence and Farm Advisory Group. She and her husband, Evan Stern, reside in Englewood, NJ. Still committed to education, she has served on the Curry School of Education Foundation Board of Directors for the past five years and is currently vice chair. 

Kyle is a vice president of Brown Harris Stevens, a New York City real estate brokerage firm. He specializes in Manhattan luxury properties and in 2004 was recognized as the Most Promising Salesperson of the Year by the Real Estate Board of New York.  

Kyle attributes his professional success to the tenacity his mother instilled in him as a child. “I believe I have made it here largely because my mom taught me to be relentless in the pursuit of my goals,” Kyle said. “It is this lesson that I hope the educators of tomorrow will continue to instill.” 

Kyle’s endowment funds fellowships that assist fifth-year teacher education students with tuition costs. The Sandra Feagan Stern Fellowship targets an area of vital need, because the fifth year of the program can become a barrier to some teacher candidates. In-state tuition increases by 30% when a student’s status changes from undergraduate to graduate. Students also become ineligible for undergraduate financial assistance programs, like AccessUVa.  

The Curry School’s five-year integrated, dual degree teacher preparation program is considered a national model, now made more accessible by Kyle’s contribution in his mother’s honor.