10 Qs with
Nicholas Nicolaides (Chemistry Teacher) Photo & reporting by Madie Turley
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How long have you been teaching, and what do you plan on doing after retiring? This is the 14th year that I’ve been teaching. After retirement, I’ll probably go to Greece and continue with my photography.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Chester, Pennsylvania, and then we moved to Springfield, Pennsylvania, when I was in middle school. I stayed there until high school.
How would you describe yourself when you were in high school? I was a curious kid. I read a lot, but always things outside of high school like philosophy books. I wasn’t interested in school.
What was your first job? What was your first job?
My first job was with Wyatt pharmaceuticals in their research and development department’s physical chemistry lab.
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Where did you go to college, and what did you study?
At first, I went to Bloomsburg State College. I wasn’t a very serious student there so I dropped out after a year. Some years later, I decided to get serious about things and I went to St. John’s University to study chemistry and philosophy.
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What prompted you to start a deli, and what was your experience as a deli owner like?
I wanted to be my own boss. My father owned restaurants when I was a kid, so I thought I could do that. I bought a deli and refurbished it. It was a lot of hard work, it was 100-hour weeks, but over time I built up the business.
Did you have any popular dishes at your deli? I made a really good hoagie. Philly is known for their hoagies—they call them hoagies up there, down here I think we call them submarine sandwiches.
Do you think a chemistry teacher is more skilled at making a great sandwich than, for example, a history teacher? The advantage a chemistry teacher has over a history teacher, as far as cooking goes, is that cooking involves a lot of chemistry. Cooking involves ingredients. A chemist has to be very methodical in whatever they’re doing.
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What other types of jobs have you had since college?
I had my chemistry job, I worked as a commercial photographer, I owned a deli, I worked at Trader Joe’s, I got a job with FedEx driving a truck, then I slowly found my way to being a teacher.
When did you decide to become a chemistry teacher?
At one point, I had to create a career for myself and do something new. In The Washington Post, I saw a little ad saying “Career changes at George Washington University,” [so] I applied for the program. I got in and that was it.
JUNE 2021 | FEATURES | 9
