Tell us why you became a teacher

Initially, I wanted to do atmospheric chemistry research to see how different chemical reactions in our atmosphere impact the environment. In grad school, though, I worked as a teaching assistant for undergrad labs and worked in the tutoring center. It was during this time when I fell in love with teaching. Bringing challenging concepts to a level that was accessible to students brought me tremendous joy. I loved it so much that I changed my trajectory and have been teaching ever since.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I had a student sign up for AP Chemistry, but then wanted to drop the class because she thought it would be too hard. I encouraged her to stay in the class and promised her if she did that, I would do everything I could to help her succeed. She decided to stay in the class, worked really hard, and she ended up with a B in the class and she passed the AP Exam. The student told me that she never had someone believe in her like that before and that she was proud of herself. This is why I teach.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would like to do something to help others and something fun for myself. I would make a donation to Donor's Choose to fund classroom projects for teachers. I have personally used Donor's Choose before to get a project funded and would like to support others. This organization can have the most direct impact on students and classrooms. For fun, I would like to take a trip to Australia and New Zealand. I have never been before, and it would be a once in a lifetime experience.