College of Charleston Graduate Student Callie Van Koughnett is one of only 33 future teachers from across the country to receive a $150,000 Fellowship from the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation. She is the first College of Charleston student to earn the prestigious Fellowship which supports aspiring teachers of promise as they embark on careers teaching high school science and mathematics.
“I have always wanted to have a rewarding career and there’s one thing that has always been a constant reward in my life-education,” Van Koughnett said. “Seeing a student learn to respect a new animal and its environment for the first time is a rewarding experience, but I believe that I could successfully bring a hands-on approach to a formal biology classroom as well.”
The Tennessee native is currently earning a Masters of Education for Science and Math, with Biology Secondary Certificate at the College. Van Koughnett is a USC McNair Scholar, US Environmental Protection Agency GRO Undergraduate Fellow, and a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She values the importance of giving back to the community and has participated in Hurricane Katrina Relief programs and worked with underprivileged grade-school children.
