Personal Statement

I believe that as children, we have a natural passion and if we listen to that we can find our career paths and learn a lot about ourselves in the process.  Growing up as the youngest child with only a brother who was seven years older, meant I spent time with my own imagination and curiosity.  As a child I would pretend to be a teacher, teaching my dolls and “grading” their papers.  I didn’t realize then how much I would enjoy being a teacher, but I think it was a fundamental part of my character.  Instead, I gravitated towards my main interest in biology.  My love of biology began when my parents gave me a toy microscope.  I vividly remember finding an ant outside and making a slide, noticing the legs, antenna, and details that I couldn’t see with the naked eye and just like that, I was hooked on the microscopic world.  In high school, I volunteered in the emergency room as an admitting clerk and learned phlebotomy. At the time, I had wanted to be a doctor, but soon realized I didn’t have the patience for patients. However, I was fascinated by the science of medicine.  Looking back, these three examples epitomize my passions:  teaching, the microscopic world of biology, and the science of medicine.

My journey continued in college when I chose my major of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Texas A&M University.  I explored my interest in the microscopic world by being active and an officer in the Microbiology Society.  One day, I attended a faculty meet and greet pizza party and met a faculty member, Dr. James C. Hu, who would spark my interest in research.  I began attending journal club meetings and ultimately worked on a research project in his lab, which would lead to my first publication. I realized my passion for science could be explored through research and I wanted to be on the cutting edge of scientific discoveries.  I enrolled in UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and started working in a diabetes lab on insulin secretion.  That experience not only combined my interest in medicine with my burgeoning fascination with research, but also brought me to the Pacific Northwest when my lab moved as I began my third year of graduate school. 

With a career focused on research and no teaching, it may seem unusual that I shifted my career to education. While I love working at the lab bench, I realized my mentor spent most of his time writing grants which took away from the time he could spend being the first one to analyze the experiment results, develop new lab techniques, and explore the microscopic world I loved so much.  During my graduate studies, I also had my first child.  After graduating and having my second child, I started my post doctoral research at the University of Washington in a neurobiology lab.  One day, my youngest son was sick, but I needed to complete experiments in the lab, so I took him with me.  I realized that day that I didn’t want to choose a career in research over my family.  Plus, continuing up the career ladder in research would mean limiting the experimental discoveries to write grants. My sons were important to me and I made the difficult decision to end my research career.  It was a challenging decision that was contrary to my personality of climbing the next mountain to excel and be my absolute best.  However, I wasn’t content to be a mother alone.  I still loved science and needed something more.  It was then that I decided to give teaching a try. 

I interviewed for an associate faculty member position with only supplemental instructor tutoring from my undergraduate years as teaching experience and was initially hired to teach anatomy and physiology at North Seattle College.  That quarter I had to learn how to teach a challenging majors level course of anatomy and physiology.  What started out as a temporary career move brought me to continue as an associate faculty member at both North Seattle and Edmonds College.  I would go on to teach multiple biology classes for the next twelve years before being hired as a temporary full time faculty member at Edmonds College.  During this time I was also able to spend time with my sons and share my love of science with elementary students as the PTA science liaison. The next year, I would get the opportunity to take my love of medicine and new found career interest into a full time tenure track position. I finally had rediscovered my childhood passion for teaching. 

If I reflect back on my journey to a career in education, my background and story resonates with the students I teach at Edmonds College and is why I chose to be a faculty member here.  My parents instilled in me the importance of an education.  This left an indelible mark on my brother and I that we both were the first in our extended family to graduate from college and I was the first to obtain a graduate-level degree. I feel like my journey has prepared me to be a member of the community here and share my experience and knowledge to inspire students to find their own dreams. Like many students here: I was a first generation college student, struggling to financially afford college and worked part-time while attending school.  I have a passion for my subject matter and a curiosity to learn more about it. I changed my career path from what I originally planned to do.  I was a mother trying to complete a degree and have a career while still focusing on my family.  My success can be attributed not only to my perseverance and passion, but also to those who impacted my journey including my family, my teachers, and my colleagues.  Just as these people influenced my life, I want to inspire and mentor the students at Edmonds College by fostering a growth mindset, a love of biology and learning, and the determination to pursue their passions into a fulfilling career they enjoy.