Matt Bulman
I am from the Western Chicago Suburbs and fell in love with chemistry my senior year in high school. I had a feeling I'd always end up teaching high school and as soon as I took chemistry I knew it was a perfect fit. Now it has been integrated into my life tenfold! I am a teaching assistant for a laboratory course and working in education research with cooperating professors. UIUC has provided a plethora of resources for me and when I graduate I look to head back up toward the Chicago Suburbs and search for a secondary education position. I honestly could not think of a better career path to be on right now.

Ellen Fisher
After earning a B.S. in Chemistry (with distinction) from Iowa State University in 2005, Ellen began her doctoral coursework at Illinois in the Department of Chemistry. However, it was during her very first teaching assistantship that she discovered an even deeper interest in teaching chemistry, so she transferred into the Masters in the Teaching of Chemistry (MSTC) program.

Ellen has been a teaching assistant for a variety of general and organic chemistry courses and has used these diverse opportunities to develop her teaching skills. She has been included on the Incomplete List of Teachers Rated as Excellent multiple times. Upon graduation she looks forward to becoming a high school chemistry teacher, and hopes to inspire students to view their worlds in scientific ways.

Mary Kenney
After two years of studying Chemistry at the University of Illinois I realized that my career goal in becoming a chemistry teacher was confirmed. I get so much satisfaction by working with other people and helping them to learn. I am very excited to bring that to a new level in a real classroom situation. I can't wait to get with a group of students to teach them science and to help them realize how Chemistry can relate to their own lives. In the future, I hope to start at a school that does not have the best science program so that I can make a large impact on the science program there, and reach out to the most people.

Jason Marquis
Being the son of a lifelong schoolteacher turned principal and a small business owner turned ethanol plant developer, I have found the perfect opportunity to meld two professions through teaching chemistry. In my education, I have particularly enjoyed studying the development of biofuels and other applicable processes which I intend to teach in my classroom. Upon graduation, I hope to either work for a couple of years in the ethanol industry or enter a short-term mission field overseas before returning to my hometown to teach high school chemistry.

Outside of my academic life at the University of Illinois, I enjoy participating in a variety of intramurals in coordination with my fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, where I have also served as chaplain over the past year. I am currently involved with Greek InterVarsity as well, serving on the leadership team and playing the drums, bass, and acoustic guitar in the worship band.

Stacy Zuber
Ever since my first high school chemistry class, I have always had an interest in science and Chemistry in particular. When I began college, I majored in Biochemistry, but eventually I came to decide that that wasn't for me. By that time, I had taken a couple chemistry courses and found that I still really enjoyed the subject. My experiences helping my friends with their difficulties with chemistry as well as other experiences tutoring helped me to make my choice to become a teacher of Chemistry.