When I graduated from High school, being a Physics teacher was not on my list of career plans. I left home for Tuskegee University where I began studying to become a mechanical engineer. I had a passion for robotics and wanted to be part of the growing assistive technology field. During my studies I took on a co-op at a nuclear power plant. My work was in the equipment reliability group. For this job I was tasked with measuring pipe thickness, taking temperatures, reinstalling cameras in the spent fuel pool, and a long list of other tasks that were important for ensuring the safety of the plant. I enjoyed my work because it gave me the opportunity to see so many different parts of the plant. Even though it wasn’t robotics, it was fun, and I enjoyed it.

         After undergraduate studies I enrolled at Michigan Tech for a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering. I enjoyed my courses because I was able to learn more about robotics and controls as well as manufacturing. I really enjoyed teaching manufacturing courses and the feeling I got when students would master a skill in the machine room. While there I joined a group called the Mind Trekkers. The Mind Trekkers traveled the United States doing fun science activities with kids to inspire them to pursue STEM studies and careers. On one trip, I was given a “demo” to teach that I didn’t really enjoy. Many of the kids had seen the demo already and it just didn’t have the same “wow” factor as some of the others I had done. So, that night in the hotel I tried to think of ways to make it more entertaining. I decided to start off with a question that seemed so simple, but that I knew many would not have an answer for. My question: Why do some people avoid whole milk? Many of students frowned and looked to their parents who were looking at me equally confused. I would answer: Because of all the fat! The entire time that they were thinking I would be setting up the demo. Eventually we would talk about hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties in milk and why it worked so well for the lesson. By the end of the lesson, so many parents would ask me “are you a teacher?” So, upon my return to Michigan Tech, I changed my research group from manufacturing to engineering education.

                At Michigan Tech, there was no formal engineering education department at that time, so I was doing research from the mechanical engineering department. Eventually I was introduced to the engineering education department at Virginia Tech. I then made the switch, so I could be in a formal engineering education department. However, once I got there I realized that engineering education focused more on higher education and outreach, while I wanted to focus more on the k12 classroom. Eventually I found that Science Education was a much better fit.

                My journey in Science Education has not been without some struggle however. My training was in Mechanical Engineering, not physics. So, I had to work hard to refresh myself with physics content knowledge in preparation for the Physics Praxis. I found myself learning as I was teaching and often asking my cooperating teacher questions during planning about practice problems. Passing the Praxis, the VCLA, and completing the licensure process are all final steps to the finish line. I believe my journey is one that is proof of “everything happens for a reason.”