Fawley received her bachelor's degree in biology from the University of Texas. She earned her master's degree in biology from Old Dominion University and her doctrine in botany from North Dakota State University.

   While at ODU, she discovered her love for teaching.

   "I didn't know I liked teaching until I had to teach as a graduate student," Fawley said.

   She also participated in Chesapeake Bay Water Monitoring Project, during her stay at ODU.

   Fawley spent the last 13 years at NDSU where she met her husband, fellow UAM faculty member Marvin Fawley, adjunct professor.  

   Fawley's fieldwork consisted of working with the Algi communities in a feet of ice. During one of her field experiments, she pulled off the skin of one of her fingers.

   Fawley's reasons  for moving down south was to be closer to her family and her desire to work with undergraduates. A lot of students are glad she did.

   Shameka Jackson, a junior at UAM, couldn't have been more ecstatic with Fawley's decision.

   "In all of my years of being at UAM, Dr. Fawley was the first professor I felt actually cared about me," Jackson said. "I've never been a science buff and she broke it down to a level that I actually understood the material."

   Jackson isn't the only former student to sing her praises. Ana Hunt, a senior at UAM, recalls fondly on her time spent with Fawley.

   "Every session she would pass out these handouts that were very detailed and covered all of the material that we would be discussing for the day. I know to some people that may not seem like much, but those handouts took a lot of time to make, and she didn't have to do that. I wish they made all professors like that," Hunt said.   

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