My mother is from another country and not a U.S. citizen, but has her green card. My father worked for the government. He worked nights, and I did not see him very often, which was fine, because we did not get along very well. Growing up, I did not have any role models in science, but I always played in the woods, rigged electronics, and overall, tested my ideas to see if and how they could work. I loved my high school biology classes, and realized that I wanted to be a biology teacher. However, when I went to college, I was quickly discouraged by the other science classes I had in which my professors and I did not connect in many ways. At the time, I was working two jobs and going to school, thinking that I could make my life work without school. I almost dropped out of college altogether. When I transferred to my third college, it was there that I found a home and was inspired by a professor in middle school science education. I learned to love science again and all the ways that it can be fun and joyful and foster creativity in making connections through lesson development. I was determined to help students find joy and inspiration in science as well. After teaching for many years, I now have the ability to help other teachers in the same way.