Sarah’s Story

Originally planning to work at a sealife center in Seward, Alaska, after graduation, Sarah began her undergraduate coursework as an ecology and evolutionary biology major. She took on a variety of jobs to pay her way through school. Working as a chemistry learning assistant (LA) turned out to be a life-altering experience. Over the course of five semesters, Sarah fell in love with the intricacies of both chemistry and teaching.

As a Robert Noyce Teaching Scholarship awardee, Sarah was granted the opportunity to conduct education research with university faculty and to develop her own version of the LA program for chemistry courses in the College of Engineering & Applied Science. Aside from her Noyce commitments, she worked as an undergraduate teaching assistant and a student worker in the chemistry stockroom. Additionally, Sarah volunteered with a variety of educational programs that allowed her to teach and design science curriculum. Through these experiences, she met countless educators who fueled her desire “to be a nucleation point for change in schools.”

After receiving an undergraduate degree in biochemistry, Sarah remained at the University of Colorado Boulder to earn a secondary teaching certification in science. In her spare time, Sarah likes to read, cook, paint and ride her bike.

She is excited to join “an inspiring and powerful group of people who are all working to come up with innovative solutions to a variety of problems in our educational system.”