What is a memorable moment you’ve had while teaching?

“[In] my first three years teaching, I taught at a low-income school in San Bernardino and they were, by far, the most memorable years. I taught chemistry to students that were on their second pregnancy as sophomores in high school and were going through meth withdrawals. It was wild.”

What skills do you hope students take away from your class beyond the subject itself?

“I really want my students to appreciate the importance of science literacy so that they can be informed voters. I want them to see that education is not just about a grade, it’s about the pursuit of knowledge and growing as a person.”

What do you think makes AGHS unique?

“Greek week! No other school that I’ve seen does anything like it. I look forward to it every year.”

If you were not a teacher, what do you think you’d be doing?

“I didn’t know. I wanted to be a teacher until my senior year of college, but now I really can’t imagine myself doing anything else but be a teacher. I love getting to know the students on a personal level and seeing them grow throughout the year. So if I had to choose another career it would probably still be something related to education, like starting my own field studies program or some sort of outdoor school.”

What is one thing students might be surprised to learn about you?

“I wasn’t the best student in high school and was not school spirited at all. I took the easiest classes I could and didn’t participate in any extracurricular activities. I definitely didn’t dress up for spirit days. My favorite classes were actually my English classes, not science.”