BY COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON

The Excellence in Collegiate Education and Leadership (ExCEL) Awards ceremony took place on Wednesday, March 27, 2019, honoring more than 30 College of Charleston students, staff, faculty and community members for their commitment to creating a campus environment that promotes diversity and excellence.

Chak Or, a Teaching Fellow at College of Charleston, took home the award for the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance. 

BY HALEY AVANT

​On March 20th, our group of 12 headed to Savannah, Georgia for a wonderful trip filled with beautiful weather, delicious food, and fantastic memories. Our Junior Teaching Fellows were bursting with excitement as soon as our professor let us out of class so we could get our trip started. Mrs. Baggs and her husband had found a wonderful house in the heart of Savannah which made it easy to walk to all our activities.

The first night we got there, we went to a lovely restaurant a few blocks from our house. The food was unique and gave us all a taste of Savannah. After spending time getting to know each other better at dinner, we walked further into downtown Savannah for a ghost tour. Savannah is notorious for ghosts and haunted establishments, and we got to see all of the city’s spooky history. While some of the city’s history is quite eerie, we all enjoyed walking around the historic city at night. The weather was wonderful, and it gave us a great first look at the city we were so blessed to visit.

The next day many of us started our morning by getting coffee at a little restaurant a few minutes from our house. Then, our whole group sat down to just talk about what has been going on in our lives. It was a great way to start the day and further our friendships. Next, we headed out into the city again to find a local restaurant for brunch. We ended up at a lovely establishment overlooking the river. We had a blast just relaxing in the sunny weather and eating delicious Cajun style food. We then hopped on a riverboat cruise to hear some more about the industrial side of Savannah’s history. It was such a beautiful day to hear about the rich history and maybe get a few sunburns. Following the cruise, we were on a mission for ice cream. We found a local establishment that was famous for their ice cream. We then dispersed and toured the city in smaller groups. Our group walked all around the city hitting local stores, coffee shops, candy shops, and the beautiful iconic sights of Savannah. We ended our evening in the city at Paula Deen’s restaurant, The Lady and Sons. It was a classic southern buffet where we definitely all ate a little too much. That night back in our house we relaxed, hung out, watched movies, and played games.

The next morning, we took our time getting ready, packing up, and getting breakfast at local joints close to our house. Around lunch time, we found a small diner to eat our last meal of the trip at. After lunch, we headed to a gorgeous park in the heart of downtown. Here, we took pictures and then sat in the grass to talk with each other. Since we are all juniors, we are all approaching student teaching next year. We discussed our fears and excitement of the upcoming challenge in our lives. This part of the trip reminded us just how lucky we are to have each other as we step into our last year of college. This trip definitely strengthened bonds, and gave us all sweet memories we will cherish for a long time.  We are so grateful for the experience to travel to a new city, explore and learn new things, and build friendships that we will treasure for a lifetime.