Julia Price
My name is Julia Price, and I am currently a sophomore at the University of Tennessee pursuing a double major in Chemistry and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology with a minor in secondary education. Growing up in a home with a teacher opened my eyes to the crucial role a teacher plays in the lives of many children. Through my high school and college chemistry teachers passion for the subject, I gained a desire to further understand the material. I was not exactly sure what career I wanted to pursue, but I knew I wanted to learn more chemistry. I first thought about chemical engineering, medicine, and pharmacy, but I did not feel I had the passion for the job. I took jobs in some of these fields, and became bored in my tasks. I could only remember one summer where I volunteered to help below level children at a summer school. This experience was probably one of the most rewarding of my life. I have always wanted to help people in some way, and teaching called on me. As a child, I never believed I would be a teacher, and now I cannot think of any other career for myself. I hope to one day inspire children to love learning like my mother and teachers. I want to show kids the exciting world of chemistry and pass my enthusiasm for the subject to my students.

Alicia Stiles
Ever since my high school days, I have been truly fascinated with the field of chemistry. Whether it was celebrating mole day or calculating changes in heats of formation, I loved the variety of challenges that I was faced with. I figured that if I found so much joy in taking chemistry, maybe I could inspire others to enjoy taking it as well. Now, three years later, I find myself getting closer and closer to my goal of becoming a high school teacher. I am currently a sophomore at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. I am working on getting a major in chemistry with a minor in secondary education. Although I have a few more years left to go, I am still just as eager to become a teacher today as I was the day I walked into my first chemistry class.