I discovered my enjoyment of teaching, and my natural aptitude for it, almost by accident. During graduate school, I was fortunate to receive Teaching Assistantship appointments in exchange for tuition support, although I initially felt apprehensive about leading lab sections. By the time I completed my degree, I had served as a teaching assistant for five terms of Principles of Biology, one term of Cell Biology, and one term of General Biology. What surprised me most was how rewarding the...
I discovered my enjoyment of teaching, and my natural aptitude for it, almost by accident. During graduate school, I was fortunate to receive Teaching Assistantship appointments in exchange for tuition support, although I initially felt apprehensive about leading lab sections. By the time I completed my degree, I had served as a teaching assistant for five terms of Principles of Biology, one term of Cell Biology, and one term of General Biology. What surprised me most was how rewarding the work became. I was genuinely thrilled by how well I was received by students and by how much I enjoyed developing curriculum, introducing new concepts, facilitating lab activities, writing quizzes, and helping students develop their scientific writing skills. In hindsight, teaching was the most enjoyable and fulfilling part of my graduate education.
My seven years doing lung cancer research at the University of Colorado, followed by a decade working in the private sector, did not afford me the opportunity to teach. Now that I am launching a small business, I finally have the scheduling flexibility to return to teaching in a direct and personal way. My own success in biology as a student and as a researcher grew out of a deep sense of wonder and a profound interest in discovering the secrets of the natural world. I look forward to helping students find enjoyment and confidence as they uncover the mysteries of life and build the skills that make biology both accessible and genuinely fascinating.
