Born in Cleveland and raised in Ohio, Florida, and Indiana, I have made New York my home and very much wish to attain the required credentials to teach Biology at the Middle/High School level. I am currently an employee of Queens College where I serve as a Laboratory Safety Officer. Working with professors, laboratory assistants, and graduate students has profoundly impressed me with the joy of working in an academic environment and has inspired me to become a teacher myself. I have formed friendships with graduate students who have gone on to teach middle or high school and staying in touch with them, sharing their contentment and satisfaction as professional teachers, has contributed to my desire for career change.

 I do enjoy my work. I have found the position to be challenging and I very much enjoy the company of the people that I work with. I am troubled, however, by the feeling that I have drifted away from my longstanding dedication to life-long learning and intellectual stimulation through immersion in the physical sciences. I am less interested in environmental regulations, which I study as part of my professional responsibilities as a Safety Officer, than I am in the academic enterprise-- broadly speaking. I miss studying and learning and I seek greater fulfillment in my work. I feel confident that I have the appropriate levels of motivation, maturity, and experience with the scientific community to become an excellent biology teacher and would be most appreciative of the opportunity.  Science is my first love, and I am most confident that becoming a Biology teacher is my highest calling.