One Microbiologist’s Path to Success

I was born in San Antonio and lived here until I graduated with my B.S. in biology from Trinity University and left for grad school to get my Ph.D. in microbiology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

I had a fantastic undergraduate experience. Not only did I get a good education, but I also met the people who became my lifelong friends. I tell students all the time that their coursework is just one part of the college experience.

In grad school, I became a teaching assistant for labs in dental and medical school microbiology courses. I spent three years doing postdoctoral research, during which I discovered that I require much more people interaction in my work than bench science allows.

During my last post-doctoral year, I accepted a part-time position teaching microbiology for nursing students at a private university. That confirmed that college biology teaching was where I needed to be.

My first full-time teaching job was at Colorado College as a one-year sabbatical replacement. That was definitely a trial-by-fire experience; I’d never been fully responsible for all components of a course. My time at Colorado College taught me the most about being efficient with my time and how to be very choosy about which concepts were critical to each course.

That experience provided me with the skills I needed to have options for my next job. I chose College of the Redwoods, a community college in Eureka, California, because I could focus entirely on teaching biology to first- and second-year students. From 2016 to 2022, I was also the associate dean for the Math, Science, Behavioral and Social Science Division at College of the Redwoods.

After I arrived on UTSA’s campus in July 2022, I found out that I would be the biosciences II coordinator in addition to teaching the course. This is among my proudest moments with the College of Sciences. It was a great feeling to know that Janis Bush, chair of the Department of Integrative Biology, appreciates my years of teaching and administrative experience and trusts me to help move the new curriculum forward.

I really enjoy being part of introducing students to the topics of biology. I am part of their foundational coursework, and it’s my job to spark their interest in whichever particular aspect they will focus on for their major. Each section of students has its own collective personality. Even when I have multiple sections of the same course, my interactions with students can be quite different between sections. The content remains the same, but I sometimes have to adjust my delivery to suit the needs of the different groups.

I am inspired by faculty who use innovative teaching techniques, especially in larger classrooms. They aren’t afraid to try new things to get their students involved with the subject matter.

I am inspired by my students who bring their talents and curiosities to class and keep it interesting. I am also inspired by students who are getting their education despite having various personal challenges such as work, kids, illness, learning differences and more.

In my personal life, I am inspired by people who strive to live lives that do good and reduce harm.

Required Reading

My Beloved World by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor “I love that Justice Sotomayor is so open about the struggles of firstgeneration college students and how she navigated that unfamiliar world to great success.”

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot “An eye-opening and gut-wrenching account of Henrietta Lacks, the involuntary source of the HeLa cells I worked with in grad school.”

Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows by Dr. Melanie Joy

“This book explains the fallacy that tells us meat is nice, normal and necessary, and it is what inspired me to go vegan.”