The 2013 CNS Alumni Association Award recipients included (left to right): Rob Maleczka, MSU Department of Chemistry professor and chairperson (Meritorious Faculty Award); Henry Edelhauser, professor of opthamology, Emory University School of Medicine (Outstanding Alumni Award); and Sasha Fawaz, Detroit and Chicago Public Schools science teacher (Recent Alumni Award), pictured with R. James Kirkpatrick, CNS dean.
EAST LANSING, Michigan: More than 100 people joined the College of Natural Science (CNS) Alumni Association for its annual awards program to acknowledge alumni, faculty and students for their outstanding achievements and excellence.
Sasha Fawaz (B.S., zoology, ’08), who has taught science for Detroit and Chicago Public Schools for four years, received the Recent Alumni Award for her dedication to science education and making sure that every child has the opportunity to be successful.
Fawaz is currently a manager of teacher leadership development with Teach for America. She oversees 17 high schools, working with science teachers to design curriculum, expand opportunities for students to attend college and attain scholarships, and expose students to STEM careers.
Last year, Fawaz designed curriculum for English, reading, math, and science, and ran an ACT club six days of the week. Last June, her school’s science ACT growth was 12th in the city out of 122 high schools and was the highest in the charter network’s history. Last summer she worked with 80 new teachers from five major cities to prepare them for careers as urban educators.
Fawaz completed her master’s degree in secondary education from National Louis University in Chicago, and plans to earn her doctorate in educational leadership from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.
