Mrs. Arbogast: Small Town Roots to Large School Dreams

By Hanna Mefsin for Silver Quest

The Journey from Cornfields to Classrooms

Mrs. Arbogast lived in Indiana until 2001, when she moved here. The town she grew up in had a population of just 500 people, and it was so rural that there was only one house per mile-long block, and each house had either cornfields, soybean fields, cows, pigs, or a mix of them.

Prior to teaching, Mrs. Arbogast worked in a biotechnology lab for 15 years and later became a stay-at-home mom. She obtained a bachelor's degree in microbiology at Indiana University and went on to earn a master’s degree in the same field at the University of Illinois. When asked why she wanted to pursue a career in biology, “most of it was because people told me I couldn’t do it, so I was like ‘No, yes I can!’” Mrs. Arbogast answered.

And prove them wrong she did! What she loves most about biology is its constant evolution. Biology “changes all the time. It’s changed a lot even since I’ve been in college, and there’s always something new in biology,” she said.

Life Beyond the Lab

Outside of work, Mrs. Arbogast enjoys a wide range of hobbies, from horticulture to baking. “When I really want to challenge myself and fail—often—I do sourdough bread,” she said. She admitted it’s trickier than it may seem: “I thought being a scientist would help, but it doesn’t.” On weekends, Mrs. Arbogast attends her youngest daughter’s softball tournaments and swim meets. While “those are always fun to do, I don’t get a lot of grading done sometimes—so it’s hard for that,” she added. When asked where she would visit if she could go anywhere in the world, she admitted, “I’m not much of a traveler. I don’t really enjoy it. But there’s a friend of mine from Peru and she takes a lot of pictures, so I think I would like to go there since it looks really cool.”

If Mrs. Arbogast could meet any scientist to have lived, she would want to meet Issac Newton since “all scientific things stem from him”. Accordingly, she would ask him “how he came about discovering the things that he did and how it started, what his inspiration was, and what his setbacks were—because everybody has setbacks.”

Mrs. Arbogast shares, “I really like being at Blair, and it’s a really fun place to be. I love all the students, they’re amazing, and the people I work with are really great too. I love being here.” Students enjoy having her here, too. Kripa Krishnan ‘25 praises, "She's very sweet and always asks us how we're doing. She always tries to make class more engaging and hands-on." Mrs. Arbogast is yet another outstanding addition to the Magnet faculty, bringing passion and excitement to the Blair community.