Whitney S. Becker
Whitney Becker is from Austin, TX and has 3 brothers. Her oldest brother, Philip, just graduated from the Air Force Academy, was commissioned as a second lieutenant and will start pilot training next year. Her middle brother, Kevin, is a junior at Texas A&M University majoring in chemical engineering. Her little brother, Jared, is starting BCT (basic cadet training) on 6/28/07 at the United States Air Force Academy. Whitney is chemistry major at Texas A&M University and plans to be a high school chemistry teacher. She is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta (Theta) and Freshmen Leaders in Christ (FLIC). Whitney recently was chosen to be a leader in FLIC to mentor the class of 2011. Both organizations provide opportunities to serve our community, Bryan /College Station as well as the A&M campus. Whitney enjoys working with kids and is currently working at Kamp Kanakuk, a Christian sports camp in Missouri for most of the summer as a counselor and boat driver.

James English
My name is James English, but I go by Jimmy. I am 21 years old and am about to begin my senior year at Texas A&M. I lived my pre-college life in the small town of Forney, Texas where I attended Forney Middle and High School. My father, Paul, is a dentist in another small town nearby. My mother, Rudi, dabbled in reality but mostly was a stay-at-home mom. My sister, Mary, is two years younger and just finished her first year of college, playing volleyball at New Mexico State University. This summer I came back home and got a job at Chili's, waiting tables. When I'm not working or going to school, I like to watch and play sports and poker, go to the movies, and hang out with friends.

Sallie Finklea
I will be a Senior Chemistry major at Texas A&M University in the Fall of 2007, and I will be pursuing a teaching certificate along with my degree. This summer I am interning at PepsiCo in Arlington so that I can learn how chemistry is used in the industry, and I am enjoying putting to practice everything that I have learned in class and in textbooks. Right now I am working on a project with my mom and we are knitting a quilt together, but while I am at A&M I love to help out with Knit-Wits which goes to a nursing home to help teach older ladies how to knit and crochet. I am also involved in Navigators on campus, which is a Bible study. I hope to finish this year strong and I am excited about my classes next year.

William Fortin
William Fortin is 21 years old and is a senior majoring in chemistry with a teacher certification tract minor. He is in the Corps of Cadets and is the executive officer of the Duncan Volunteer Company (the cadets who feed the Corps), and a flight commander in Squadron 20. During his freshman year in the Corps, he was part of the Fish Drill Team, a precision drill unit who placed first overall in the national college drill competition held at Tulane University in New Orleans. In high school, he was the Wing Commander of his high school JROTC unit, unarmed drill team commander, and color guard commander. While he was the unarmed drill team commander, his team placed third overall and his school placed first overall at the state drill meet hosted by the Texas Army National Guard in College Station, Texas. He is also an Eagle Scout and a member of the Knights of Columbus. He plans on teaching chemistry at the high school level and proceeding on to graduate school to learn more about curriculum development.

Tabitha Lynn Roybal
I had inspirational stages that included spelunker, marine biologist, archeologist and the like. However, chemistry won my heart when I was fourteen. At eighteen, and in my final year of high school, I realized the taken-for-granted influence that my teachers had on me over the years and how I wanted the chance to impact others like my educators had impacted me. I will graduate in May 2007 with a major in chemistry and with a secondary education track. Directly out of college I would like to dive into cosmetic or food nutrition chemistry. After a few years I will be able to bring a class room full of high school chemistry students the excitement of the reality of chemistry. My experience will make me a more effective teacher, which is my ultimate occupational goal. Through my studies and stories my students will see chemistry in a three dimensional sense instead of only off the pages of a text book. I passionately hope that as a teacher I contribute to inspiring my students to pursue higher education in the sciences, particularly chemistry.

Lauren Neito
I am a junior chemistry major from League City, Tx, a suburb outside of Houston. I am currently taking two chemistry classes and an education class in which I am learning much about how to teach, as well as strenghtening my foundation in chemistry. I am very appreciative to the Hach Foundation for its support in my pursuing to teach Chemistry at the secondary level. Because of the foundation's scholarship, I am able to spend more time devoted to my studies.

Megan Stussi
I am a chemistry major with minors in Spanish and education. I hope to become bilingual and teach high school chemistry in Texas. I studied Spanish for six weeks last summer in Spain. It was a wonderful experience and makes me extremely grateful for the luxuries I enjoy in the States as well as the challenge learning a new language presents. I have been in the MASS program at Texas A&M for two years and have enjoyed being exposed to new ideas and ways of teaching. I am looking forward to having my own classroom someday soon and am thankful for how much this scholarship is going to help me achieve that goal.