Chanda Jefferson

Chanda Jefferson

Sponsor: U.S. Department of Energy
Fellowship Placement: United States House of Representatives
Hometown: Columbia, SC

Chanda Jefferson is a Science Department Chair, STEM Lead, and Secondary Life Sciences teacher at Fairfield Central High School in Winnsboro, South Carolina. She taught in the public schools of South Carolina for ten years where she was also named the 2020 South Carolina Teacher of the Year. In 2021, Chanda received the National Education Association Award for Teaching Excellence, a prestigious award which highlighted her dedication to the teaching profession, community engagement, professional development, attention to diversity and advocacy for fellow educators. Most recently she served as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow in the House of Representatives for Congressman Mark DeSaulnier. As a legislative assistant, she managed the team’s educational portfolio and several critical issues including early childhood, K‐12, and higher education, health and human services, science and technology, and civil rights and race relations. She took on an active role in developing and promoting legislation to address constituents' concerns related to the pandemic, most notably addressing issues regarding student loan forgiveness, providing funding for children and families with disabilities, safely reopening schools, and policy actions to dismantle systemic racism. Chanda attended the University of South Carolina where she earned her BS in Biological Sciences and MT in Secondary Sciences. She also earned an Ed. M. in Public School Building Leadership at Columbia University. In 2018, Chanda worked with the National Institute of Health and National Human Genome Research Institute as a network partner for a special 15th Anniversary DNA Day Celebration; contributing expertise in reviewing and curating genomics educational resources for other educators and students, leading to the Governor of South Carolina issuing an official proclamation for DNA Day in South Carolina. Chanda has developed an ongoing partnership with the National Human Genome Research Institute and serves as a member of their STEM Educator Committee where she was a featured seminar speaker for a series on the “Bold Predictions for Human Genomics by 2030”.

Chanda has received many honors and notable fellowships throughout her career that focused on gaining access to STEM resources and opportunities for teachers and students including; the Princeton University Molecular Biology Institute, NASA Airborne Research Experience for Educators, Siemen’s STARs Institute at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. She was one of three teachers to receive the Amazon Educator Academy Scholarship and was invited by Harvard to speak at the 74th Annual Society of Developmental Biology Conference. A strong advocate for public education, Chanda served as an Academy Teacher for an organization dedicated to defend the interests of children in public education and pursue transformative policy reform. To assist educational leaders with transitioning back to school during the coronavirus pandemic, she served on the South Carolina Department of Education AccelerateEd Task Force and worked with the Southern Regional Education Board’s Education Recovery Task Force to develop a playbook with actions for states, districts and schools to consider as they planned for reopening schools for the 2020-2021 school year. Chanda believes that “all students can learn science,” and for students to learn, she must exhibit that science is part of their everyday life experience. Using the ideals of the constructivist theory, she uses hands-on activities to cater to each student’s individual learning styles and incorporates social media, scientific modeling, inquiry, and STEM techniques in her lessons. She continues to use real-world science experiences to actively engage students and inspire them to become future leaders in STEM fields. Chanda serves as an ambassador for teachers and engages with educators across the country encouraging them to use their stories, their students' stories, and their voices to advocate for positive change in education.