Newberry, S.C. – Newberry College graduate Kayla Knight has received the Educational Testing Service Recognition of Excellence (ROE), an honor awarded to test takers who rank in the top 15% of all Praxis scores.
The ROE acknowledges Knight’s exceptional individual performance on the Praxis II exam,
the test taken by individuals entering the teaching profession as part of the certification process required by many states and professional licensing
organizations.
Knight said that the education program at Newberry gave her the opportunity to explore different areas she didn’t originally consider.
“Newberry instilled in me a sense of yearning to better myself as a player in the field of education,” said Knight, who received her degree in
elementary education. “I have been exposed not only to classroom teaching, but also all of the other aspects of education including policy making, the
political side of education and the administrative perspective.”
While at Newberry, Knight was on the Dean’s list for all eight semesters and took on campus leadership roles as the Kappa Delta sorority president, the
Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society president, a Blue Key Honors Fraternity member, a Kappa Delta Pi Education Honors Society member, a Future Educators
of America (FEA) member, a student member of Conduct Review Board, and as a student intern on campus.
Knight worked with a wide variety of grade levels in the Newberry County School District, and took the suggestion from Associate Professor and
Education Department Chair Dr. Cindy Johnson-Taylor to try middle level teaching.
“I could not be happier than I am when in a middle school classroom,” Knight said. “The courses I took in the education department were always
meaningful and all faculty members were always working in the best interest of the students. For that reason, I feel prepared and confident that I am
ready to teach tomorrow’s future.”
This fall, she will begin working on her master’s degree in divergent learning at Columbia College. Knight is certified in elementary and middle level
education, and will be teaching at Muller Road Middle School in Richland School District Two.
