Class Scientist
Did you have senior superlatives in high school? You know, the thing where everyone votes for people that match different categories like cutest couple, most athletic, best dressed, etc. Well, I was voted as "Class Scientist" for senior superlatives. I was salutatorian of my class, so I guess this category was seen as, "She's smart, so this works." This didn't feel right to me because science was actually always my worst subject. I lacked confidence in science and never felt like a scientist. I spent hours after school each night just trying to understand biology, chemistry, and physics. So why then was I voted as Class Scientist?
I do think my peers just viewed it as the best title for the smart girl because scientists are smart, but I can personally make more sense of myself as a scientist now, seven years later. I never considered myself a scientist because I pictured scientists in a lab mixing chemicals or studying cell samples. I wanted to be a teacher, so this didn't fit for me. Now that I am a teacher, however, I see that scientists are much more. Scientists study the world around them. My students are scientists. I tell them that every unit. And I now realize, I am a scientist also.
The more I immerse myself in STREAM (Science, Technology, Research, Engineering, Art, Math), project-based learning, and the use of the engineering design process, the more I realize I have been a scientist all along. I use critical thinking and problem solving skills on the daily. I may not be strong in scientific content knowledge, but my brain thinks like a scientist. I have an innovator's mindset. Looking back on senior superlatives, I am proud to have been voted as Class Scientist. I didn't know I deserved the title at the time, but now I am sure of it. Thank you Nazareth Area High School Class of 2011 for helping me realize who I really am.
