Tell us why you became a teacher

Honestly, I ended up as a science teacher because my mom was a teacher and my dad was a scientist. I wasn't exposed to opportunities as much as my students today are. For instance, if I had taken engineering classes in high school, competed in robot competitions in elementary school, or analyzed exoplanetary data for an Earth & Space Science project, I may have become an engineer or planetary scientist. Encouraging students to utilize these options is now a driving goal of mine as a teacher.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I will never forget the moment that I told Jared he had passed my final and to then see the look on his face. --what I then realized is that, at that moment, he knew he had successfully graduated high school. This was a student who had struggled with homelessness and food insecurity. He is now successfully working a career and doing quite well.

What would you do with the $25,000?

Up to $10k "fun money" -- probably a small trip and fixing up something at my house that would bring me joy such as more plants and plant stand for my sun room. $5k that goes back to students in some way. I wouldn't have the $25k if not for them! I'd want to get some wishlist items for my classroom. And possibly use some money as scholarship to send deserving students to a summer experience such as an astronomy workshop, or marine biology camp, etc. The remaining $10k toward retirement savings.