My ambition is that students walk out of my class with a sense of agency, thoughtfulness, and potential to lead. We need leaders who measure success in terms of kindness, awe, and reciprocal relationships with others and the world around us. I hope to inspire students to be the change they wish to see in the world.”
Amanda’s Story
Teaching Discipline
Physics
Why Physics
“Physics captured my imagination in high school. It was the first time I felt excited in a science class, and like I could succeed in it. Because of the great experience my high school teacher facilitated for me, I pursued it as an undergraduate degree because I was curious to know more, and I loved the challenge of learning it!”
Professional Experience
Amanda was the first in her family to graduate high school, and has had extensive, and wonderful, experiences in her post-secondary education. During her undergraduate studies, she spent time volunteering in a rural village near Johannesburg, Mozambique, where she helped build an extension of a local school. Amanda also studied the NASA ICON mission at the University of California Berkeley Space Sciences Lab and taught physics and astronomy concepts to students in grades three to eight as a science instructor and media coordinator at AstroCamp in Idyllwild, California.
Amanda will begin her second year of teaching physics at Salt Lake Center for Science Education in Salt Lake City, Utah, during the 2023–2024 school year.
Hobbies
Amanda enjoys running and sees it as a grounding force within her life—one that has been a big part of her routine since high school. Additionally, Amanda has always enjoyed animals and hopes to own a small farm in the near future.
Academic Background
- Webster State University (Bachelor of Science in Physics)