Tell us why you became a teacher

After I graduated from college with a BS in zoology, I thought I wanted to pursue a career working with animals. I explored a few different jobs in outdoor education and felt like something was missing; I realized what I wanted most was to share my passion for science with others, especially kids. As fun as my other jobs were caring for wild animals, what I enjoyed the most from that experience was teaching students about it and to see their faces light up when they learned or saw something new.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

Working with community partners to provide a small group of students with access to outdoor spaces has provided me with many memorable experiences as a teacher. I have seen my students overcome many different challenges, such as figuring out how to get a hook out of a fish they caught, bravely scaling a rock wall, or confidently skiing down a mountain. These shared experiences foster a deeper connection with my students and allowed me to further support them both in and out of the classroom.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would invest the money directly back into my school community. We are experiencing detrimental cuts to education as well as a decline in trust and appreciation for science knowledge. My school is definitely feeling some of these changes, and I would use the money to invest more in science programs and activities in and out of school. Science exposure, especially at a young age, will encourage the next generation to keep asking questions about the world around them and hopefully make it better.