Gilroy High Alumna Wins Prestigious Teaching Fellowship

alumna and aspiring local teacher has been awarded a $150,000 fellowship through the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation, according to information from the organization.

Carissa Filice, who grew up in Gilroy, was one of the recipients who received the award out of 165 applicants, said spokesman Joseph Giumarra. The money is meant to help pay for her credentialing and support her during the first years of her career.

“Teaching challenges my ability to be prepared, communicate, facilitate and motivate unique groups of individuals. It is multifaceted, exhausting, and amazing,” said Filice. 

The KSTF supports instruction in science in math, awarding annual fellowships “to exceptional young men and women committed to teaching science and mathematics in United States high schools,” according to the organization.

Filice said that she remembered playing “school” as a child, but it was in Gilroy High School that she met the instructors who showed her the impact and power of teaching.

As an undergraduate at California Polytechnic State University, Filice furthered her interest in science and fostered her interest in teaching. She is earning her teaching credential from the Stanford Teacher Education Program.

Filice said she hopes to teach in the Bay Area.

“For all the wealth and technological advancements in the area, there are even more disadvantaged students and schools,” she said.

This year, six California applicants received the award, and a total of 36 nationally. 190 fellows have been involved in the program since it began in 2002.