CALLIE GARRETT VAN KOUGHNETT
Biology Teacher
Teacher preparation program:
College of Charleston
Anticipated date of graduation:
August 2010

Callie Van Koughnett considers herself “an educator at heart.” As a student, she worked as an after-school counselor at a local elementary school and was an instructor at the Tennessee Aquarium’s camp and Clemson’s Camp Sewee. Upon graduation from the University of South Carolina in 2007 with an Honors BS in Marine Science and a minor in Mathematics, Callie worked as a naturalist at the Barrier Island Education Program on Seabrook Island. This experience honed her teaching skills while making her realize she missed relating to students on a more academic level. “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.”

Growing up, Callie’s parents encouraged her to pursue “life education” through extracurricular programs and her teachers demanded that she apply the same critical thought in the classroom and as in life. These experiences have shaped her educational and career goals as well as her teaching philosophy. Callie hopes to have a similar impact on her students in the future.

Callie 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.