"Teachers have three loves: love of learning, love of learners, and the love of bringing the first two loves together."
–Scott Hayden
I graduated from Saint Joseph's University with a Biology, Adolescence Education, B.S., and a minor in Chemistry. I was a student who always put their all into everything I submitted ad took pride in my school work, allowing me to graduate with a 3.8 GPA. I am getting certified in General Science, Chemistry, and Biology grades 7-12. I am also planning on getting certified in special education to help provide equal opportunities to all students. It was always my dream as a little kid to be a science educator. This dream is finally becoming a reality and I am excited to embark on this lifelong journey of empowering other students. I was a peer tutor at Saint Joseph's University for 2 years helping other struggling college students and extending my experience in education. I was also a teachers assistant at Saint Joseph's University for general biology where id help other college students conduct labs. I am very passionate about science research as I was able to conduct Undergraduate research through the SURF Fellowship 2023. I am also in the process of publishing my work in a scholarly journal. I am very adventurous and outdoorsy and id love to let my students experience nature by conducting hands-on labs in nature.
I was not always the perfect student I hit many bumps in the road along the way but it was one teacher that made a big difference in my life. It was this dedicated teacher that was able to identify what I was struggling with academically and help form a learning strategy that made me the successful person I am today. I wish to be this dedicated teacher for one of my future students and help them become successful in life. I am also good with communication and teamwork making it easy to work with other teachers in a building. I have an open mindset as I am always looking for ways to adjust my teaching stagey to better suit my students. I am also a good listener since I respond positively to all ideas presented to me by the classroom community and my colleagues. I am committed to fostering teamwork amongst my students while also being aware of different learning styles and providing individualized accommodations. I also will support diversity in the classrooms since it provides a rich learning experience for all students. it also exposes students to different perspectives, ideas, and cultures further preparing them for the real world. All of these approaches can be fostered through effective lesson planning.
I believe a growth mindset is described as people who are willing to grow and prosper and alter themselves to succeed. Moreover, when one has a growth mindset, they believe they can gain the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed. This connects to how with a growth mindset every challenge is a learning opportunity in the classroom. However, people with a fixed mindset tend to not challenge themselves to allow for prosperity and growth. My take on this is that individuals with a fixed mindset believe that their abilities cannot be altered, and they tend to focus on what is familiar to them and do not challenge themselves. I feel with a growth mindset you can use setbacks and feedback as an opportunity to learn and grow as a future educator. In addition, they will seek learning opportunities and new challenges to further expand themselves. Overall, in a growth mindset, all challenges are embraced, and setbacks are used as learning opportunities.
Given the numerous challenges a teacher faces on a daily; it is important to have a growth mindset. Especially as a first-year teacher, I may not know how to solve every problem thrown at me. I've also learned I can’t see every failed lesson as a failure but see it as a learning opportunity. Teachers with more of a growth mindset acknowledge the issues in their teaching methods head-on. Having a fixed mindset can halt my ability to learn from my mistakes as an educator, while a growth mindset can see these mistakes as further learning opportunities. Those with a fixed mindset also participate in less collaborative activities since it's not what they are used to. Overall, as future teachers we will run into many mistakes we may make but I will have a growth mindset to improve my teaching style to make my students more successful.
Teaching diverse students the idea of a growth mindset is important since it teaches them that their abilities and talents can improve over time with hard work and effort. By fostering a growth mindset, students are taught to embrace challenges with open arms, and failure is viewed as a learning experience. By fostering a growth mindset, I will teach my students to embrace challenges with open arms and view their failure as a learning experience.Since the classroom will be diverse I will exmpalin to my students that their success may look different than their peers. I will try to get my students to do a reflection after every test saying what their strngths were and how they can improve for next test introducing them to this way of thinking. I also think no matter what it is whether it be sports, music, or even how to swim one can learn when you set your mind to it. I feel it is our role as teachers to believe in our students and tell them they can succeed in anything they set their minds to.
Title: Evaluating if the Lethal and Sub lethal Effects of Microplastics on Grass Shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio)
Abstract: Microplastics (MPs) are consumed by many marine organisms, though less is known about how they affect an organism's fitness. This study analyzed the lethal and sublethal effects of MP-spiked food on Grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio). Shrimp were collected from Long Island, NY, and acclimated in tanks (n=6) in a laboratory. After acclimation, the tanks were divided into the two treatment groups, control (n=3) and MP exposed (n=3). Control shrimp tanks were fed 12 food pellets, while the MP treatment received 12 MP-spiked pellets. Shrimp were fed every other day and remained in these conditions for 35 days. After final measurements on day 35, a subset of shrimp (n=5) were randomly taken out of each tank and placed into separate individual glass bowls without food for a video-based swimming behavior assessment the next day. Using a tracking software (LoliTrack v.5), the routine swimming behavior (i.e., distance swum, mean speed, and time active, etc.) of shrimp was assessed in control conditions and again when the shrimp were exposed to a food stimulus (i.e. control seawater with dissolved food pellets). While no differences in survival and growth rates were found between treatments, 5 significant differences in swimming behavior were found. Behavioral differences only manifested when shrimp were exposed to the food stimulus, with MP-exposed shrimp exhibiting significantly higher mean acceleration (p=0.012) and increased time active (p=0.014) compared to their baseline control behavior. As grass shrimp are important in coastal marine food webs, further investigation is warranted
"Two of the student presenters at the symposium received the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship last year. One a biology major and one psychology, they shared their findings with the audience. Caitlin Anetrella, a senior biology major with chemistry minor and a concentration in adolescence education at the Long Island Campus, worked along side faculty mentor Konstantine Rountos, Ph.D., and analyzed the impact microplastics have on grass shrimp. “I want to thank the SURF program for giving me this opportunity to conduct my research over the summer,” Anetrella said. “It was a great experience. I hope this summer’s recipients have the same experience I did. I also want to thank the biology department for giving me the knowledge and skills to complete this research.”
Biology club
Cheerleading
Environmental Club
Student Government
Homework club
National Honors Societies
Conservation Biology
Chemistry Club