“I don’t want to do things because that is the way they have always been done,” Habte says. “I want to do them in a way that is most engaging.” Photo courtesy of the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation
Faven Habte (BS ’10) stepped into her science classroom at Chicago’s Bronzeville Scholastic Institute last fall hoping to ignite a passion for her discipline among her students—much the same way her own passion was sparked and stoked by her high school and college mentors.
“My goal is that my students will see that they can do whatever they want,” says the newly minted teacher. And if she gets the classroom chemistry just right, a good portion of them may just want to pursue careers in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
Habte’s love of science — and her dedication to sharing that love — has earned her a prestigious five-year STEM fellowship from the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation. Based in Moorestown, N.J., the foundation was established to increase the nation’s stock of high-quality secondary school STEM teachers.
Habte’s path to her science classroom was initially charted at DU, where, as a biochemistry major, she spent hours in the lab experiencing just how exciting science can be. After graduating from DU, Habte spent three years with AmeriCorps City Year Chicago, tutoring and mentoring middle school students and working with teachers and administrators to improve the student experience. To ensure she was ready for her own classroom, she enrolled at the University of Chicago to pursue a master of arts in teaching secondary biology.
“I don’t want to do things because that is the way they have always been done,” Habte says. “I want to do them in a way that is most engaging.”