Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved science and teaching. Back in the day, I would convert my parent’s garage into a classroom and all the neighborhood children would attend my “summer school.” I taught them reading, writing, would assign homework, and even made worksheets which I would grade for them. I knew at that point I really wanted to work with kiddos. I was also a very curious student myself and especially loved learning about the universe around me.

My most memorable teaching experience was during Covid. When we were told we were going into lockdown literally overnight, I embraced this challenge. I turned up the cheesiness factor, and transformed myself into a TV personality to make it fun, silly, and humorous for my kiddos. Even though it was a very scary a time, and our area was being ravaged by wildfires, we made the most out of our online learning as a community, and supported each other through the uncertainty.

If I was gifted $25,000, I would invite my students on a summer research expedition to the Galápagos Islands. I teach Biology and the hands on learning opportunities available in the Galapagos are unparalleled. Imagine learning about Darwinism first hand! I am a teacher at a Title 1 school, so very few of my students have had the chance to travel internationally. This will open up their minds in ways no classroom could ever do.