Taylor Overcast, 2022 AAPT Teacher Professional Development Intern

Biography

SPS Chapter: Union University

Hello! My name is Taylor Overcast and I am very excited to be the AAPT intern for the summer! I just completed my junior year at Union University where I am a double major in mathematics and physics. While my degrees are not in education, I have had a desire to teach from a young age; however, I realized that I wanted to make a change in the way students are taught and, thus, how students view their education.

In my time at Union, one of the most influential experiences for me has been the opportunity to tutor physics and math courses through our Center for Academic Success – giving me insight to the joys and challenges of teaching. Similarly, during the summer of 2020, I was given a position to work in a local non-profit organization through Tennessee Tutoring Corps to curb summer learning loss that was magnified by months of online learning due to the pandemic. This opportunity was challenging to say the least, but it reminded me of the purpose of a teacher – to bring education and, therefore, hope to young minds. Education is more than learning – education is the key to opening doors for a bright future and a life of purpose.

I enjoy the lively theoretical banter of Union’s academic organizations such as the Society of Physics Students, Sigma Pi Sigma, and Kappa Mu Epsilon and appreciate the mentors and friendships that these organizations have brought me. In my time away from math and physics, I enjoy being involved on and off campus and spending time outdoors. I am a member of my university’s ultimate frisbee team and love the adrenaline of the game, the comradery of my teammates, and the opportunity to travel. I also love playing instruments and can often be found serving on a piano or guitar in my church’s band.

I am grateful for the opportunity to be involved in an internship that combines these interests and am excited to see what this summer holds!

Internship

Host: American Association of Physics Teachers

Project

Abstract

The purpose of the discussion is to illustrate the additional challenges that students from low-income areas face. In addition, the relationship of attending a low-income school and attending a 4-year institution in a STEM degree will be examined.

Final Presentation

Internship Blog

Week 1: Lots of Changes

The first week of a ten-week journey is now completed and I am already realizing that the summer will be gone in the blink of an eye. On Saturday I drove from my home state of Tennessee to my cousins’ house in northern Virginia. The 11 hour drive went quite smoothly, except for the occasional jitters thinking about what the summer would hold. As I arrived at my cousins’ house, a warm welcoming crew of her pair of toddlers made the area immediately feel less foreign. On Sunday I completed the final hour of my drive to arrive at Philip Amsterdam Hall, located on the beautiful George Washington campus. As I began to unpack my things, I finally realized that I had truly made it to an internship... this was not just a short trip in a new city with a group of strangers that had shared a few GroupMe messages. Also, this was not just any internship, but an internship that will grow my skills, network, and wisdom for my future career in unimaginable ways. I am the American Association of Physics Teachers Professional Development Programs Intern for the summer. I have plans to one day, not only teach in a classroom, but make a difference in the way that education is given to students.

On the first night, the interns that were already on campus met each other. It was at that moment that I knew that I would not be on this journey lonely – there were other people in the internship that felt natural to talk to. Our first full day in D.C. was Memorial Day. I do not believe there is a better place to celebrate Memorial Day than on Constitution Avenue watching the parade. Being in the capitol increased my gratitude and made me truly appreciate the meaning of the holiday. In addition to attending the parade, it was fun to begin getting to know my fellow interns, as most of them had arrived by the time of the parade. We explored the city some before and after the parade and had the opportunity to see several monuments and buildings.

The second full day was Orientation and I loved getting to hear from the leadership and staff of the American Institute of Physics and the Society of Physics Students. There were moments that were surreal sitting in the American Center of Physics and talking to Brad Conrad – the man, the myth, and the legend behind all the physics emails I had received since declaring a physics major over three years ago. I was also able to meet Jack Hehn, the current volunteering AAPT Senior Fellow. I feel sure that I will learn an innumerable amount of knowledge from both Dr. Hehn and my mentor, Mark Hannum.

After orientation the “real” start of the internship began and I began working on research for outreach opportunities (including the Astronomy on the Mall event), compiling lists and making fliers for the national AAPT conference, and contemplating the impact of a rural education on the likeliness of a student to attend a 4-year institution, specifically in a physics-related field. These are topics that will return and be discussed in future blog posts as I have time and opportunities to gain knowledge about them.

I would like to take the time to mention and honor Dr. William Nettles. Dr. Nettles was the chair of the physics department at Union University. Sadly, Dr. Nettles passed away earlier this week after a few months of health issues. Dr. Nettles was a remarkably talented and brilliant man. His classes were dreaded due to the intensity of them; however, he was always willing to help you if you had the discipline and nerve to attend his office hours. At the beginning of college, I was rudely surprised that my knowledge in the physics realm was subpar. I was discouraged and, honestly, quite tempted to drop the physics major and continue on with only my math major. However, Dr. Nettles did not let that happen. He allowed me to sit in his office for hours – working on tricky problems, talking about future plans, and giving me any random advice or wisdom that he wanted to share with me. Dr. Nettles made sure that I understood that I had potential and that, while my incoming knowledge was lower than my peers, if I continued to work hard, I would be capable of catching up to them and completing the major.

My last conversation with him was in the spring on the morning before the interview for this internship. In his typical matter of fact way, he advised me that I needed to stop talking with my hands because it was distracting and that I needed to either gain or fake the confidence to maintain eye contact with my interviewer. His words rang in my ears while I interviewed for this position, and ever since when I meet new people. It will be advice that I will forever need the reminder of and a conversation that I will remember fondly. Due to his encouragement to apply to this internship, his recommendation letter, his words of advice for the interview, and his patience to allow me to catch up in my physics knowledge, I will always be grateful to him for this opportunity. Dr. Nettles will be greatly missed by Union University, the Jackson community, and all the students he has touched over the years.

I am very grateful for this opportunity and I look forward to what the summer holds!

Until next week,

Week 2: Lots of Firsts

The first week of the internship passed quickly; however, somehow the second week flew by even faster. This week included a long list of firsts – attending a local Presbyterian church and eating lunch with the congregation, a Sunday afternoon trip to Arlington to visit friends (with an additional first of making curry with them), my first experience of getting lost on the metro (first thing on Monday morning), experiencing Thomas Jefferson High School with my mentor who teaches there, getting to virtually meet (almost) the rest of the AAPT leadership team, exploring the streets of Georgetown, and meeting and eating lunch with a Nobel Prize in Physics laureate! These were the events, combined with the sprinkling of Excel sheets and Zoom meetings, of another incredible week.

The week started off with an interesting Sunday spent doing non-intern things. I decided to attend the church that is on the next block over from the hall that the interns are being housed in. It was much different than anything I have experienced, but I appreciated the incorporation of both Spanish and sign language in their service. The pastor asked me to stay for a small luncheon following the service, and I did. I was able to meet a few members of the congregation and had a lovely time getting to hear what areas I should check out from the locals. On Sunday afternoon, a good friend from college (who now lives in the area) picked me up and took me to the house that she and her husband just purchased. We decorated the walls while catching up with each other and then made a very tasty curry. I had never had curry so it was fun to get to make and try a new food. I am starting to think this blog might contain quite a few new foods over the weeks – there are so many things here that are not common in Tennessee.

On Monday morning I got a little lost on the metro system – four trains later, I finally arrived at the correct station and made it to the American Center of Physics building. The metro was very foreign to me before coming here this summer. While it is not as hard to navigate as I expected, it still makes me slightly nervous that I will get on the wrong train, especially when I am alone. I guess getting on the wrong train is just another thing that I can check off my bucket list – although that one was not on there. Once I got to work, I continued filling out an Excel form to identify state policies for awarding Professional Development Points. One of the challenges that AAPT faces is that state-by-state policies vary – making offering credit for attending conferences very difficult.

On Tuesday I had the opportunity to visit Thomas Jefferson High School with my mentor, Mark Hannum. Thomas Jefferson is the number one high school in the nation and I was amazed, and a little dumbfounded, as I walked the halls of the school. There are several specialized labs ranging from Oceanography and Geophysical Systems to Neuroscience, and students have the opportunity to choose and complete a research experiment in one of the available disciplines during their senior year. Mark is the mentor for the Quantum Physics and Optics lab, and I was able to walk through the labs and see the equipment. It was incredible, but also slightly overwhelming. The size of only the quantum lab was larger than the entirety of my college’s physics lab, and the equipment was very modern and unfamiliar to me. It is quite astonishing that the students learning the material are young high schoolers.

I also had the opportunity to speak with one of the AP Physics classes that Mark teaches while I was there. It was humbling to visit with his students – they all had high hopes of attending top-tier colleges, and they seemed to have the drive, the knowledge, and the desire to be accepted and do quite well at them. The students were very kind and honest and answered my very long list of questions. While Thomas Jefferson is not a good representation of all, if not most, suburban schools, it was fascinating to see a school that was so different from the rural high school that I attended. The concerns of the students at Thomas Jefferson were so unlike the concerns of the students from my hometown. As I mentioned in my blog last week, I am beginning to study the long-term career impacts of the opportunity gap that so often holds the space between suburban and rural high schools. I hope that one day this gap can be lessened, and the proper measures can be taken to offer all students what they need to optimize their abilities. The American Association of Physics Teachers works hard to implement the resources they can to lessen the opportunity gap that occurs specifically in physics.

Tuesday night I decided to take a walk through Georgetown with one of the other interns. It was a beautiful place to be, especially as the street lights reflected off the light rain shower that decided to fall. Exploring the city on long walks has been my favorite activity to do in my free time. It is still quite wild to think about the fact that I technically am living in Washington D.C. Wednesday was a very normal day. I worked on finishing some Excel documents, researched the impacts of rural education, and met on Zoom with Mark and Justine (Assistant to the K12 Program Manager) to talk about the quickly approaching AAPT Summer Conference.

On Thursday all of the interns made the trip to the American Center of Physics building for a very special lunch with Dr. John Mather. Dr. Mather is an astrophysicist and cosmologist that was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the Cosmic Background Explorer Satellite (COBE). He has achieved and published too many things in his lifetime to include on this blog, but I highly recommend googling his biography. Ironically, Dr. Mather was educated in a rural area; however, both of his parents were well-educated – a researcher and a school-teacher. I had the opportunity to ask Dr. Mather how he believes the opportunity gap can best be lessened. His paraphrased response was that while no education reformation can reasonably be made to make the opportunity gap disappear, ensuring students have materials to read is one of the most important things to offer better opportunities.

His words were quite simple, yet very profound to me. A Nobel Prize in Physics laureate was giving me the same advice that my mother has told me since I was a young child. I believe that reading is a gift that many students (from all walks of life) overlook. Reading provides knowledge, and knowledge leads to opportunity. Dr. Mather shared his experiences and his thoughts on many subjects with us – struggling to finish his sandwich because we would not stop asking him questions. It was truly a phenomenal opportunity to get to speak with such a world renowned physicist and I am grateful he took the time to come and speak with us.

Until next week,

Week 3: Smithsonians, Cathedrals, and Zoom

Week three is drawing to a close. Again, the week flew by, but this time it felt different. This week felt calmer in the best of ways – I feel like I am learning my role at AAPT, bonding to the other interns (my somewhat introverted self is less socially exhausted now), and becoming more familiar with the places, cultures, and people that DC has to offer. This past weekend I toured a couple of Smithsonians, witnessed a march for gun control, attended a service at the beautiful National Cathedral, and went to an art exhibit at American University. This work week was packed with zoom calls (about 25 hours worth) that were very informative. Most of the zoom calls were with a Python training for high school teachers that my mentor was a part of planning; however, I also had the opportunity to join a zoom call discussing quantum curriculum and how it can be made more available for K12 teachers. I am becoming more familiar with resources and challenges that teachers face and the issues and standards that need to be discussed and addressed.

The Smithsonians were incredible to walk through – I went to both the National Museum of American History and the Institution Archives. It was incredible to see American history in physical artifacts and the progression of the changes that have occurred over the years in our country. Saturday was also the day that the March for Our Lives Events occurred in DC. March for Our Lives is a student-led movement to end gun violence. Gun violence is a heart-breaking and multifaceted issue that needs to be spoken against – it was truly moving to see such a large crowd stand for their beliefs.

On Sunday I attended a service at the National Cathedral with one of my fellow interns. I highly recommend, if given the opportunity, to do the same. The building is phenomenal – the architecture is so detailed and elegant and the service is an experience like few others. After attending the service, we made the trek to American University where we met the Czech artist Josef Achrer. Achrer’s exhibit is titled “The Quest for Tranquil Space: Paintings and Photograms.” The exhibit focuses on human society and its search for peace exhibited by colored abstract geometry pieces and black and white photograms. He described the techniques of his works and the stories behind them – I, personally, was taken by the stunning photograms. The works told a story that made you want to jump into the photo and experience the setting for yourself. It was fascinating to see his perspective on human’s natural desire for peace and the way he symbolized it in his paintings.

This work week was much different than previous weeks. I had the opportunity to work on my research project for most of Monday. In addition, I had the opportunity to meet the Statistics Research team at ACP. Everyone was super helpful in giving me researching advice and data sets to consider. The data that I was hoping to be able to find is proving to be more difficult to locate/non-existent and I am nervously excited to see what that means for the remainder of my project. I think it strongly suggests that the correlation between low-income high school education and their opportunity/ability to attend a 4-year institution in a STEM major needs to be examined. From the data I have found, it seems there is an unproportional representation of these students. I also had the chance to have an email conversation with my high school physics teacher and hear her opinions and experiences teaching physics in a low-income school. Sadly, my high school’s physics program was (hopefully) temporarily discontinued last year. However, this seems to be the trend across the nation at the moment. Smaller schools are discontinuing their programs while larger schools are increasing their enrollment in physics courses. This is only expanding the opportunity gap and the issue needs to be addressed. However, it is a very systematic and intricate set of issues that are creating this divide, and it will not be easy to create a solution to lessen this gap.

For the remainder of the week, I participated in a virtual Python training that was headed by Dr. Brian Lane from the University of North Florida. It was hosted for high school physics teachers to learn methods to implement computational exercises in their classrooms. There were around 50 participants and it was an experience within itself to hear their various backgrounds and advice. I am very appreciative of Dr. Lane, the facilitators, and the other participants for enriching my knowledge of Python.

Also, when Einstein is on the wall, you take pictures with him!

Cheers to another good week!

Week 4: Orchestras, Data! and Picnics

As the weeks fly by I am beginning to realize none of them will feel like 7 days, and none of them will look the same. I was expecting to fall into a rhythm after being here for a little bit. While that is the case in some aspects, it is teaching me to enjoy the unexpected – something I have never been too fond of. This weekend a few of us attended the Chinatown Community Festival, the entirety of SPS attended the National Orchestral Institute & Festival Symphony Orchestra thanks to Jack Hehn, and I joined a friend from college at the Capitol for a church service and a farmers’ market. On Monday we referenced Juneteenth with the day off, and then a week of research and interesting meetings began – with a lovely “picnic” in the middle.

Saturday was very full, but amazing from start to finish. I started the day off by attending the Chinatown Community Festival with a couple of the other interns. The festival was very interesting and fun! I was able to learn about many of the traditions of various Asian cultures.

Here is a picture with our tiny crew at the Philippine Nurse Association:

On Saturday night, all of SPS attended the National Orchestral Institute & Festival Symphony Orchestra. We did not realize that it was roughly a two hour commute due to the timing of the bus – so we Ubered. It was my first time doing that, so I guess I am experiencing all the aspects of living in an actual city. The orchestra was absolutely beautiful! Most of the interns are musicians and can truly appreciate the difficulty and intensity of performing a show that is that outstanding. The discussions on the metro home were very fun, and we all had different favorite moments. I personally loved listening to the cellist and the harmonies they produced with the other instruments.

Here are a couple of my favorite photos from the orchestra:

... I like the first one because I look tall :)

On Sunday a friend from college invited me to attend her church with her and walk through a farmers’ market afterwards. I enjoyed being able to catch up with her and hear her perspective and fun tidbits about the city. Monday was the federal recognition of Juneteenth and ACP closed for the day. Nicole and I spent part of the day playing frisbee near the National Mall. Nicole and I both play ultimate frisbee for our respective colleges, and it was fun to toss some plastic with someone who is not my teammate. It is always so fun to see different techniques and styles.

On Tuesday the work week began. My goal for this week was to make good progress on my research. My research has taken a slight change to examining the implications of attending a low-income school prior to college. Tuesday was a big win – I found a data set! This week has been fun – I have been digging through previous research on the topic, and uncovering some slightly discouraging trends.

Here is a little insight to some of the general data that I have found and plotted:

Long story short, low-income students are more likely to attend a 2-year university, but less likely to attend any further education to their affluent counterparts. There is a lot more that I already have (not shown) and a lot more to be related and researched, but I was thrilled to find some data.

I also had the opportunity to attend a quantum education class (via Zoom) for K12 teachers hosted by George Mason University. It was very neat to see how excited teachers of elementary students were about introducing (very basic) ideas of quantum mechanics into their classrooms. The National Quantum Initiative Act of 2018 was the first movement to enact quantum in younger classrooms over the course of the next 10 years. The purpose of the bill is to advance students’ understanding of technologies and accelerate the development of quantum information science and technology applications.

On Wednesday, Mikayla opened her apartment building for a fun “picnic”. Due to the rain, we were not able to have it on the roof like we had planned, but it was still very fun. We played some games, talked, and ate good food. Thank you to everyone who helped plan for the event! She even took us for a field trip to the roof where we snapped some pictures:

Happy summer solstice week! Until next time,

Week 5: Astronomy on the Mall and Preparing for Michigan

This week started off with Saturday’s Astronomy on the Mall. Unlike most of the interns, I worked with my organization’s table, and all of my mentor’s high school students. I had a blast talking with people who stopped by to play our game and to the students from Thomas Jefferson High School. Since AAPT is an educational organization, it was right up our alley. The rest of the week had less additional events outside of work than my previous weeks. I went to church and lunch with a couple friends from college on Sunday, went to the potluck that most of the interns planned on Tuesday, and attended a lecture titled “Earth, Exoplanets, and Everything in Between” on Wednesday night.

I did not know what to expect to experience at Astronomy on the Mall. I had no clue how many people would be there, and I was excited and curious of how it would go. The event truly exceeded my expectations. I am really bad at estimating numbers of people, especially if they are spread out over 6 hours, so I am not going to estimate how many people were there – but it was a lot. Mark and I had planned a game that would allow people to estimate the distance of the Earth from the Sun if the solar system was shrunk to a scale of the Sun being 2 inches in diameter – I can save you time Googling... the answer is about 17 feet. However, according to a couple folks, it is at least two blocks over or it’s a trick question. I worked the game for the majority of the night, and I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of participants we had (around 200). The participants were as young as 18 months and others were the great-grandparents of those kiddos. It was fun getting to talk with people from all different backgrounds, ages, home-bases, education, and careers. I even got to talk with a middle school science teacher from California about resources she could implement in her classroom. I also had the opportunity to accidentally meet Alex – an educator that I had spent many hours on a group Zoom call with planning a quantum curriculum. It took us about five minutes talking to each other to realize we knew each other, but it was really fun to meet her in person. Overall, I think the event went really well. It was amazing to see people enjoying learning about physics in an engaging and hands-on way.

I wish I had remembered to take a single photo, but I did not. Hopefully, some of the other interns were less forgetful and will post pictures.

On Sunday, I went to church with one of my close friends from college that now lives here with her husband. They always took me to church before they graduated and I always felt like a very small child riding in the back of their car – Sunday did not disappoint to give me memories of the good old times. After church, we walked through a farmers market and grabbed a (very yummy) bite to eat before they took me back to my dorm.

Here is a cute little awkward picture that we took after the greeters were confused how they had a child almost as old as them... :)

Then Monday rolled around, and the work week started. This week was a lot of finalizing things for the summer meeting in Michigan, which is in a week. I worked on designing a couple of posters for the K-12 room, proofreading some documents for the meeting, and finalizing the rough draft of my presentation on the impacts of attending a low-income school.

The things I have found have been both expected and unexpected at the same time. I knew there was a disproportionate amount of low-income students in STEM; however, I do not believe I realized quite how different it was. A low-income student is half as likely to have any STEM completion. In addition, a low-income student is less than half as likely to attain a degree in STEM. A low-income student is also about half as likely to attain a Bachelor’s degree of ANY kind. The issue of why low-income students are less-likely is very complicated and multifaceted. However, it does appear that in order for the opportunity gap to be lessened, measures need to be taken when the child is as young as 3 years old. I have really enjoyed doing this research, but I will say that it has been discouraging at times because the issue is so daunting and so complex.

Outside of work, the interns decided to have a potluck where each room of interns prepared and brought a dish. Nicole and I baked a quiche to take. The interns are surprisingly good cooks, and it was fun to see what people chose to bring. After the potluck we walked down to the Potomoc to catch the last glimpses of sunset. It was a really fun night, and I believe we have plans to do it again before the end of the summer.

Our quiche fresh out of the oven:

Most of the interns enjoying the potluck:

Overlooking the Potomac river towards Rosslyn:

On Wednesday, four of us attended a lecture that Dr. Knicole Colon from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center gave. The lecture, “Earth, Exoplanets, and Everything in Between,” was the third and final part in a series put on through the Smithsonians. It was fascinating to learn about the exoplanets that have been observed, new missions that are just beginning, and future missions that are being planned. Dr. Colon talked about the James Webb telescope in quite a bit of detail. This was especially fascinating because Dr. John C. Mather, who came and spoke with the interns a few weeks ago, is the senior project scientist on the mission. I really enjoyed listening to her speak. Space is not typically one of my favorite aspects of physics; however, I enjoy learning about it more and more the older I get. Space is an overwhelming thing to comprehend... just like quantum. One is too vast and the other too miniscule to easily wrap our minds around. Physics is cool (which I already knew), and this summer is making me appreciate it more and more.

Until next week,

Week 6: Frisbee, Fireworks, and FUTURES

We are officially over halfway through the internship. This summer has felt like a year and a week somehow all at the same time, and there are still, yet only, four weeks to go. The interns have all bonded really well and I can truly say that I feel like we are all friends – something that I did not necessarily expect coming into the summer. This week I played frisbee, took a hike in Rock Creek Park, celebrated the 4th of July, finished up my presentation for the AAPT summer meeting, began organizing and collecting curriculum for COMMUNITIES (an AAPT online resource), attended an event at the Embassy of Columbia, and walked through a couple of museums. This blog is a little longer than most of mine, but it is just because there were too many pictures.

This past weekend started with one of my absolute favorite hobbies – frisbee! There are very few ways to start a Saturday morning better than a game of coed pickup with your roommate and team captain. Nicole and I both play for our schools’ ultimate teams and we have shared our love for frisbee over the course of the summer. One of my captains from my school team lives in the area and offered to take us to a pick-up game in northern Virginia. It was great to play with her again and meet all the people she has talked so fondly about over the last few years. Often when playing coed, I find that I do not get to touch the disk as much as I would like to; however, this group was amazing about giving the females opportunities to make plays too. I could talk about frisbee for quite awhile, but I will move on now.

Here is a picture of me with Nicole and Rachel – two worlds collide!

On Sunday a small group of us went to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. I think it was my favorite Smithsonian so far, and I am really glad that I was able to go! It had so many artifacts and history within it – more than one trip allows for you to take in. It is one of the few Smithsonians that requires (free) tickets, but I would highly recommend reserving some if you ever come to D.C.

That afternoon, a different small group of us decided to go on a walk in Rock Creek Park. It was good for my soul to be in the woods, which is much closer to home for me. My family loves to hike and camp, and it is something that I have missed the most while being in a people-filled, always-busy city. While my dog was not in his rightful place in a backpack on my back, it was refreshing to be able to spend time in the trees and having good and real conversations.

My typical hiking buddy:

My new hiking buddies:

Monday was the 4th of July! I can honestly say that it feels very different celebrating it in the Nation’s capital. A large group of interns attended the parade (again, I need to start taking more pictures – hopefully, someone else captured the moment.) We (the interns) also met a few of my friends and found a spot on the National Mall to watch the fireworks from. It was an incredible experience being so close to such a large display of fireworks.

My college friends came to join – they wouldn’t smile for the picture, so this is what they get:

Most of the interns made it to the same spot, too... we even were able to retrieve a couple more after this photo. Honestly, it was a feat to find them in the huge crowd.

Here is a low-quality picture of all of us:

And, of course, the fireworks:

This week was the last week prior to the AAPT summer meeting. I spent most of my time wrapping up (and cleaning up) my presentation, organizing a bit of curriculum in COMMUNITIES (more to come in later weeks), and gathering up materials for us to carry with us. I do not have many new or exciting things to share in this realm; however, I think next week will be much different. Mark and I are driving to the meeting in Grand Rapids on Sunday (about 10 hours one-way) – I am expecting my blog to be very full and entertaining next week. I am very excited to meet physics teachers from across the nation, and hear their thoughts and experiences about various topics.

Outside of work I attended an event at the Embassy of Columbia on Tuesday night that was very fun. It was a documentary about Pupusas, and was entirely in Spanish. I enjoyed the event – we even got to meet the ambassador afterwards!

Our little crew:

In addition, I decided to take a stroll on Wednesday after work. I thought I would be too late to catch any of the museums; however, FUTURES was open late due to it being its last day on exhibit. It was a fascinating exhibit/festival and I am glad that I dropped by. I also walked through the Smithsonian Gardens on the way. I have enjoyed being able to walk almost anywhere I want to go... I think it is my favorite thing about living in a city.

This is in the FUTURES museum and is dedicated to Margaret Hamilton who was a space navigator – as a female in physics, I think it is fitting for her to make it in the blog:

Stay tuned for the crazy week to come,

Week 7: Michigan!

There is no way for words on a screen to give this week justice. Not to be dramatic, but this week is one that I will remember for the rest of my life. This week I attended the AAPT Summer Meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I drove with Mark (my mentor) and arrived on Sunday night. The meeting began in full swing on Monday morning – I got to see presentations, talk with very influential educators, and meet Mark’s previous interns. I gave my presentation on the long-term impacts of low-income schools on Tuesday morning, and it was followed by an incredible discussion from the teachers that took the time to come. On Tuesday night I had the opportunity to meet a physics education researcher that I have looked up to over the summer as I have read many of her articles. Long story short... It was a great week.

In addition to all of these amazing things that I am going to describe in much more detail, I went to an event at the National Portrait Gallery last Friday night. Even though it was not part of the conference, it was too incredible to leave out of the weekly blog. The event was called Truth Tellers and it was by far my favorite external event yet. The artist, Robert Shetterly, tells the story of Americans that are fighting for social justice through his portraits. The pictures are quite amazing, but the stories he told in the documentary and in his interview are even more moving.

I did not take any pictures of the event; however, here is one of Lucy and me walking by the White House on the way home:

On Saturday I metroed to Virginia and saw four of my cousins that live there (one of my first cousins, her husband, and their two children). It is always fun to see them! I went home and carefully packed a couple of blazers and pairs of dress pants and then the crazy week began on Sunday.

Mark picked me up around 8 on Sunday morning. The drive was supposed to be around 9.5 hours. However, with a couple Zoom meeting hiccups, the drive ended up being around 12 hours due to stopping for a board meeting. Once we got to Michigan, we walked into one of the fanciest hotels I have ever seen. The views were amazing and the hotel felt like a tiny city inside. It had shops, restaurants, a gym, a pool, pickleball courts, a fantastic fountain, and the conference center was connected by a skywalk. We dropped our stuff off in our respective rooms – I got the luckier end of the deal and got a corner room with an amazing view of the city through two wall size windows. We then went to dinner and took a quick walk to plan for the next day and stretch our legs from the long car ride.

This is through my window:

Then the conference officially began on Monday morning. We (mostly Mark) were in charge of the K-12 Teacher Resource room. On Monday morning STEP UP came and presented. STEP UP is an APS program that promotes minorities in physics, and is a program that I really want to learn more about. In addition, the room had a lively topical discussion on making physics accessible for all students. During the discussion, I was able to meet another undergraduate student that was there presenting her Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion research – I was even able to attend her talk later in the week. After the morning sessions there was a K-12 luncheon. At the meeting Mark and I were able to ask some questions to get good feedback from the teachers that were present. In addition, I was able to meet two of Mark’s previous interns.

Here is a picture of the four of us:

That afternoon Get the Facts Out presented on the physics teacher shortage and then we hosted a feedback session. We were able to hear many ideas and thoughts about the program and how we could better serve the teachers that were present. Mark then moved over to the K-12 committee meeting. I felt like a lucky little shadow being able to enter all the committee meetings and dinners with Mark. No one seemed too interested if he introduced me as his intern, but everyone wanted to talk with me if he told them I was a future physics educator. We then went to dinner with about 25 K-12 teachers and one of Mark’s previous interns. It was so fun to be surrounded by that many physicists that were also educators... I never thought I would find people that actually like to talk about the same things as me. It was amazing to get to hang out with them and see that, behind being amazing educators, they are people too.

On Tuesday morning I wanted to go watch the SPS folks give their talks. Luckily, the timing worked out and I went and watched Kayla and Brad present. They did incredible jobs talking about the projection of physics majors over the course of the next few years. It was interesting to see the data and hear their opinions on the matter. Directly following their presentations, I began mine. As I have talked about in previous blogs, I presented on “The Long-Term Impacts of Attending a Low-Income School.” The presentation was about 35 minutes with a 25 minute seminar-style discussion following. It was incredible to hear the teachers’ opinions – many of them were not people that I had interacted with yet. If anyone is interested in seeing the data that I presented, I would be glad to email out the pdf of it. The topic is something that needs to be acknowledged and known – my email is taylor.overcast2 [at] gmail.com (I created a new email just for this purpose... so please use it to ask questions).

Here is a picture of me presenting... I believe I was presenting on the concept of preschool education at the moment. The set up for the presentation was a little awkward (I had to turn my back to a few people), but overall it was a great first experience with a crowd of that type:

We then had another topical discussion. This one was on the topic of teaching upper level physics in high schools. This question was slightly confusing to me, but the point of the conversation was to discuss how far students should be pushed in their physics careers within high school. I had a slightly ironic situation occur during this talk and sat down next to my college roommate’s summer roommate (yes, I know that was confusing) and was able to meet her. I was aware she would be there and of her name, but neither of us knew what the other looked like so I assumed we would probably not meet. I then went to a presentation that was not in our room, and then drifted and met with some people in the conference center. I then returned to the K-12 room for a PhET presentation. PhET is a fantastic online simulation resource for physics. I used it in high school, and it was particularly amazing to see how far the system had come since then. I then went and grabbed a (particularly amazing) cold brew coffee with Ben (a previous AAPT intern) and picked his brain about education and existing as a young physicist. By the end of the trip, we became good friends. It was cool to see how easy it is to form bonds with people that are similar to you and have similar experiences. Before this internship I had met only a handful of physics people – most of them were my professors and my roommate. It has been amazing to begin forming a network of people that I can continue to communicate with for support, resources, and to share similar experiences long after the internship is over.

Here is a picture of Ben and my coffee (shout out to STEP UP for providing the shirts):

That evening I went to another feedback session in our room. It was similar to the first day, but with a different crew of people. I then returned our projector and caught the tailend of a DEI session that was being presented by undergrads. I then met up with Mark to attend a committee meeting and then we headed to join the Get the Facts Out Crew at a local restaurant – the most exciting part of the trip.

I will be geeking out for a minute, and might even be slightly embarrassed admitting how excited I was about this experience. I will set the scene... Mark and I were running late to the dinner because of the committee meeting. We walked up to the outdoor seating and there were two sets of two seats on opposite ends of the table. One set was in front of Dr. Gay Stewart, and of course that’s the set we chose. Now I am sure that many of you may not know who she is because not everyone is a physics nerd, but I will be glad to save you Googling. However, please Google her and read her articles about her research – I used them while preparing for my presentation and they are quite insightful. Dr. Stewart is a Physics Education Researcher at West Virginia who greatly assisted in rewriting the curriculum for AP Physics I and II. This rewrite allowed the course to be more accessible in low-income areas and other underserved populations. Her research is very influential on the community of physics, and I was lucky enough to be able to talk to her for about two hours. There are some conversations that I know I will never forget and I believe that will be one of them.

On Wednesday morning Mark and I packed up and headed out early – of course, getting coffee on the way (physics people have to have coffee – there is a long story behind this, but take my word for it). We made good time on the way home – only about ten hours! I enjoyed being able to talk with him about the conference and dissect everything that had occurred. Mark has been an amazing mentor, and I was especially grateful for him this week with all the new experiences. The conference was amazing and I am so grateful for the experience. Thank you to everyone that made it possible for me to attend!

The first day back in the office, the AIP Foundation team provided lunch to get to know the background stories of the interns and to check in on how our summers were going. It was nice of them to have us, and it was fun to have all the interns together again. There were some that I had not seen in a couple of weeks, and I missed all of them while I was gone (even though it was only a few days).

Even though this blog is quite a long one, I know that I left out quite a few things. This week was so full of amazing experiences that I had to choose what to include – even then it seems quite detailed and long. While a blog post does not do it justice, I hope you were able to get a little insight into how amazing this week was and how grateful I was to have the opportunity to experience it!

P.S. the interns on the third floor finally found the light switch today.

Cheers to a good week,

Week 8: NIST and Other Events

This week it became very obvious that the end of this summer is right around the corner. Our final presentations are underway and we have been contemplating the last things that we want to experience in the city. I can say that the friends that I have made here surpassed my expectations, and I will truly miss them once we head back to our individual lives. This week was less eventful than some other weeks, but still plenty busy. Over the weekend we went to Jazz in the Garden, the Asian festival on Saturday, had a chill movie night at The Consignment (what we call the dorm room we all hang out in – shout out to Janessa and Emma for being lovely hosts), I hung out with some college friends on Sunday, and then the week began. This week I began a project for STEP UP. I am creating a preliminary data set for all the schools that might offer physics in New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles. It has taken up the majority of my working hours this week, but I am really enjoying datamining – it is quite satisfying. The interns also had the opportunity to tour NIST this week – it was incredible and there will be more details to come. Outside of work we had a taco night, attempted attending a movie at Franklin Park, and made cookies.

Jazz in the Garden was a very fun experience. Tickets are difficult to get, but the experience was worth it. I think we all decided it is one of the things that is worth experiencing, but not repeating. The vibe was fun, but it was quite crowded and the music was difficult to hear. For our crew of musicians, we wish we had chosen seats where we could have heard the talented band better. We got dressed up and made a night of it. Lucy, Emma, and I decided to take the walk back to campus and explored a rooftop on the way home.

Waiting on the band to start:

The vibes:

Checking out the rooftop on the way home:

On Saturday, we went down to the Asian Festival and walked around for a couple hours. It was very interesting to see all of the various countries and cultures that were represented. After exploring around, AT&T (Anthony, Taylor, and Taylor) made our way to get bubble tea for lunch. Our small crew takes occasional trips on the weekend, solely for the purpose of trying new teas, and it has become one of the things I look forward to. Bubble tea is not really a thing where I am from, so it has been a fun new experience. While at the Asian Festival, we learned that there were quite a few interns that had never had root beer floats. So while we were out we divided up supply runs and gathered up the materials to make everyone floats. After a little down time, we reconfigured for floats, card games, a movie, and some karaoke.

AT&T with our freshly brewed tea:

The street at the festival – sorry for the low picture quality... it doesn’t do the festival justice:

On Monday night the interns decided to have a taco night. We all signed up to bring an ingredient, and our food gatherings never disappoint. Janessa taught us how to properly dance and we had lots of fun – even if most of us are not great dancers. There is picture proof of this event; however, they are somewhat embarrassing so I will not be sharing them.

On Tuesday, I killed my streak of never seeing a Marvel movie. It was a great fun fact for Never Have I Ever and I am slightly disappointed that I gave in to the peer pressure. All jokes aside, Black Widow is actually a fantastic movie and it was worth it. A small group of us headed over to Franklin Park for the showing. It was sponsored by Whole Foods and the free snacks did not disappoint. However, the interns who had seen Black Widow decided that the music that was added to the showing was distracting, and that we should leave. I was a little lost and asking a lot of questions, so it was probably a good decision for everyone involved. However, we began watching it last night and it is quite a good movie – and I am not one for movies, so that is saying a lot.

Here we are enjoying our snacks and waiting for the movie to begin... Ben decided to take a nap:

On Thursday we got to tour NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology)! The experience was pretty amazing. As a physics major, NIST is something that comes up quite a bit. In my head it was a magical place where a bunch of brilliant scientists wearing lab coats work with crazy technology everyday and produce next-generation science... turns out that the picture in my head wasn’t too inaccurate. We had the experience of standing in the Anechoic chamber and it was by far the highlight of the tour for me. An anechoic chamber is a room that absorbs and dissipates sound. In an average room that is considered “silent” the decibel level is around 20. However, in this room the decibel level is around -20. They gave us the opportunity to stand in the room for around 20 minutes. As my ears grew accustomed to the silence, I was able to hear my heart beat and the blood moving in my body. In full honesty, the silence was a little unsettling. Growing up in the country, I thought I knew what silence was. However, the level of silence in the chamber is eerie, and several times I felt like I needed to make a sound to remind myself that I could still hear. After exiting the chamber, simple noises felt too loud and it took a few minutes for me to regain the ability to not attempt to shut my ears everytime someone said something.

The rest of the tour was very fascinating too! We had the opportunity to see two labs in addition to the Center for Neutron Research. The labs both had intriguing equipment that I do not understand. As the scientists described their research, I was fascinated (as anyone in a physics field would be), but I quickly realized that research of that type would not be for me. I am grateful that even within physics there are so many types of people and that the field is so diverse. The Center for Neutron Research was huge, and we were able to see the main reactor. On the way out, we were scanned to ensure that we were not tracking any radioactive materials out. The experience was one to remember.

As for my work week, there is very little to report compared to last week. I started a project for STEP UP and I have really enjoyed it, even though it is a little redundant. I am creating a spreadsheet of all the schools in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago that could potentially offer physics. The data that I am collecting is purely preliminary, but I feel sure the team will put it to good use. I thought with only three areas the project would go quickly; however, I was surprised to find out that there are about 5000 schools to investigate. Over the course of this summer, I have realized why it feels like so little is being done about access to physics in urban and rural areas. There are so many schools to be outreached to, and so few of them have access to qualified physics teachers. The population is too vast to be reached at one time, but, project by project, the future of physics education is, hopefully, being improved.

Signing off for now :)

Week 9: Talks, Jellyfish, The Wharf, and Data

It is wild to think that we only have one week left. This summer has flown by and, while I am excited to return to my university, I wish that I could somehow do both. I am so grateful for the time that I have had here, and I am excited to move forward with my newfound knowledge and solidified career ideas. The interns are all busy putting together our final presentations. While we have been trying to see the last few things in the city that we want to, it has been difficult for us all to find common time to do things together. However, last weekend Brad came and gave a very helpful career talk on Friday, and we went to Quigley’s afterwards. In addition, a group explored Sandy Point on Saturday. This work week, a large group still found time to have a breakfast potluck and explore The Wharf together.

The weekend started off with a very helpful career talk from Brad Conrad. We then went out to Quigley’s for tater tots and nachos. Quigley’s is a regular place for our group due to their fantastic happy hour prices.

Here we all are enjoying tots (minus Emma, who took the picture):

On Saturday we went to Sandy Point to check out the beach there. We had a fun run-in with some jellyfish, with a total of 40% of the interns being stung – some of us are still sporting our tattoos of tentacles almost a week later. However, the day was still fantastic! We had planned a picnic and brought frisbees to toss around. The sun was bright and the bay was calm.

A little roommate picture on the beach... we weren’t the best at taking photos while we were there:

On Sunday, I headed over to my college friends’ house and spent the day with them. We went to church, baked, and even spent some time dueting on guitars. It was good to spend time with them, as it always is. It has been nice living in the same town again and it is something that I will miss most when returning to Tennessee.

On Monday the workweek began again. I spent the entirety of this week working on the data mining project for STEP UP that I started a couple weeks ago. I spent this week locating all the high schools in New York City (there are about 700). These schools will now be analyzed by the STEP UP team to determine which schools should be outreached to. In addition, Renee Horton from NASA virtually gave a very amazing and inspirational talk to us on Monday. She discussed the importance of happiness within a career and having confidence to pursue your dreams. In addition, on Thursday, we had another virtual lunch meeting with Midhat Farooq from APS to discuss building good and fitting resumes. The talk was very informative and helpful for thinking about how to best present ourselves for future jobs. A big thank you for them taking the time to talk with us and to SPS for setting the events up!

Wednesday night we had our almost weekly potluck of some sort. This week was breakfast themed. Nicole made potato pancakes and I made egg quesadillas. Between the two of us, we set off our fire alarm and it took a couple minutes for it to figure out that nothing was on fire – I promise we are both decent and relatively safe cooks. Nicole also taught me how to properly flip a pancake... turns out it’s basically a frisbee flick upwards. The breakfast potluck was very diversified – everything from parfaits to French toast to zucchini bread. A smaller group of us then took a couple guitars to Anthony’s room and played for a while. This week had more music in it than others and I was very grateful for that :).

On Thursday night a few of us headed down to The Wharf. We showed up in waves of tiny groups because we are all pushing to get things done before next week. We walked around the pier, stopped by a free movie showing, got free showers from the rain storm, and took a few photos to document the excursion. Emma, Lucy, and I took the walk home together and got to see the monuments at night. I have seen them at night several times before, but they never fail to amaze me. When in DC, I think it is something that everyone should do at least once.

The storm rolling in:

A little free showing of The Boonies:

A pier walk at sunset:

The group after nature’s free showers:

The Washington Monument with a photobomb brought to you by Emma:

A little tree picking before returning home:

This weekend we have lots of plans packed in to see. Towards the end of the week, my mom and one of my friends are coming for next weekend and to see the city and to make the drive home with me. I am looking forward to seeing them, but I also know that means that this wonderful experience is coming to a close and I am not as thrilled about that aspect.

Stay tuned for the final week!

Week 10: An Ending That is Only the Beginning

1 summer, 10 weeks, and 1 million steps, and just like the internship has come to a close.

It is a little disorienting to think about returning to school and leaving DC and the internship. This place has become a second home and the people have become a second family. I was hesitant to have high hopes for this summer, but it has been the most influential summer and some of the best weeks! If you told me 3.5 years ago where I would be this summer, I would have thought you were crazy. If you had told me during internship application season (6 months ago) that this is where I would be, I would still be extremely surprised. This blog post is going to be long, so I have split it into parts to make it easier to navigate – hopefully, it’ll make it easier to read the parts you care about. I have a lot to share about how much this experience has meant to me, and this seemed like the best way to do it.

This week was packed!

On Friday night, a few interns went to dinner at Duke’s Groceries – another one of our favorite spots. We headed back to the Consignment for a night spent playing video games and eating Snickerdoodles – got to use up those baking goods! The interns are all lovely people, and I believe some of them will remain good friends long after this summer. On Saturday, Janessa, Emma, and I put on our tourists’ shoes and hit up quite a few Smithsonians – Saksham met us later in the day. We visited the Smithsonian Visitor Center first to make a plan. We walked through the Gardens, went to the Asian Art Museum, and then walked through the Hirshhorn.

We found an astronaut and had to take a picture:

Unexpectedly, the Hirshhorn is my favorite museum – highly recommend going to check it out if you are ever in the area:

The Sculpture Gardens has a wish tree at the moment – some will make you laugh and others have a much more sombering effect:

On Saturday night, I went to a jazz concert in Arlington with Lucy. The concert was in a quant park and was quite fun. Afterwards, we returned to the group to head back out on the town to explore.

Emma, Janessa, and I accidentally matched, but it made for cute pictures:

On Sunday, the group headed out for brunch at Crepeaway (highly recommended for good crepes on a small budget) and then headed over to the Art Gallery. We expected to be able to see more than one museum, but none of us realized how huge it is! We saw several eras of art and then headed back to the dorms to make food for our weekly potluck. We met up with all of the interns to eat and play games for the rest of the night.

For the final few days of working, I had a lot to wrap up. This week I focused on collecting the rest of the data for STEP UP. I wrapped it up on Wednesday, and I even got to hop on a couple of Zoom calls with the STEP UP team on Tuesday and Wednesday. This data was a small part of the research that needed to be completed to begin a 4 year plan to distribute physics more widely in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. STEP UP is one of the organizations that I have loved getting to learn more about and work with. This specific project is to, hopefully, over the course of several years, make physics more available in urban areas. STEP UP addresses so many of the issues that I have become more aware of in the last few months as I have worked toward my research, and I appreciate the work they are doing. I look forward to seeing how the next few years of this project go!

In addition to data mining, I finished condensing my talk from Michigan to 8 minutes. The talk was roughly 40 minutes at Michigan, and it took a good bit of finagling to get it cut to 8 minutes without cutting out most of my data. On Thursday we had our practice presentations at ACP. It was exciting to see what everyone had been working on over the summer! All the interns have talked about our projects, but seeing the professionally delivered work was a completely different experience. On Thursday night we had a final potluck to get rid of all of our leftovers. It ended up being really weird nachos, but it was fun hanging with the interns and packing the communal boxes to send back to ACP together.

The Final Day:

On Friday we had our final presentations! My mom came for the event, and was able to see where I worked, meet my fantastic mentor, and meet all the interns she had heard so much about! She was amazed by the amount of careers that were possible with a physics degree. It was fun hearing her opinions and amazement about everyone’s presentations. Giving the final presentation was a bittersweet moment. It was exciting to feel the joy of accomplishing something, but it was sad realizing that the summer was officially coming to a close.

Presenting the condensed version of “The Long-Term Impacts of Attending a Low-Income School":

Some of us taking the opportunity to document the summer in slightly higher resolution photos – most of this summer was documented in low-quality photos of high-quality moments, but this one was slightly better:

After presentations we all packed a little bit and then headed to Quigley’s one last time with Brad. We had great conversations and tater tots, said some final goodbyes as some interns were leaving already, and documented the night with a final group picture:

After Concluding:

After Quigley’s I headed to pick up a college friend from the airport. She had never been to DC before, and we decided it would be a great opportunity for her to see the city. Once I collected her, we headed back to the Consignment to have a final night with the other interns. We played games, talked about our future plans, and said some goodbyes. On Saturday morning, Joy and I rode with Emma, Saksham, and Lucy to the airport, and then continued our journey to my cousins’ house. We got things squared away, picked up some family and headed back to the city for her to explore. She had the insider’s 48 hour tour of A LOT in DC – I managed to cram the Wharf, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Korean Memorial, WWI and WWII Memorials, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Smithsonian Visitor Center (so she could see the highlight reel), the Hirshhorn, the Sculpture Gardens, the Smithsonian Gardens, the Renwick Gallery, the White House, the Einstein Memorial, and lots of random places I hung out at in an on-foot tour of the city.

Her first time to the White House:

On Sunday night I was able to spend lots of time with my cousins that live nearby. On Monday morning we headed out... I was grateful to have good co-pilots as the 10 hour drive got extended by some closures on the interstate.

My family is pretty cute, if I may say so myself :)

Nothing like the first sunset back in Tennessee:

That’s a wrap on the internship stuff. The rest is a little more personal...

Now for a short story on my journey here.

I have known from a young age that I wanted to be a teacher – specifically a STEM teacher. However, I was encouraged to “do something better with my life.” I entered college orientation no longer really knowing what I should pursue. I was highly considering a double major in athletic training and mathematics, but physics had never ever really been on my radar for a career. However, as I walked out of my math advisor meeting during orientation, I happened to run into the chair of Union’s Physics Department. He had struck up a conversation with my parents by chance. I still do not know it happened, but somehow by the end of the conversation I had changed to a physics and mathematics double major.

I would be lying if I claimed there have not been moments that I have wondered if I should have pursued athletic training or physical therapy. However, I had decided that medical physics is how I could combine these other interests with physics. I would go to graduate school and I would be “doing something better with my life than teaching.” As I was applying for internships for this summer, I chose to apply for 12 various ones – 11 were medical and then there was this one. All of the medical internships had 10 or more positions available and then there was 1 available here.

January 15th rolled around... the due date for the application, and my second recommendation letter still had not been turned in. I was still home for winter break and had been unable to get into contact with my professor who was writing the letter. I had taken a trip to Jackson to see him for life advice/application advice the weekend prior, and he had the letter ready to go. After several emails over the course of a couple days (marked with highest importance), I gave up. I watched as the clock rolled to January 16th with a surprising discomfort about missing the due date. I didn’t want to be a teacher... Why was I disappointed?

The next morning I started on more medical applications. As I was writing, I received an email that the due date had been extended! My professor emailed me that same morning apologizing for missing the due date. However, he got it in on time due to the gracious extension. I expected to receive an email that declared that I was not chosen for the position, but to my surprise, a couple months later I was offered an interview, but the interview was scheduled for the week that I had to tell all of my other options yes or no...

The week of the interview rolled around and I was excited? I hate interviews so I was surprised by that emotion. I had completed two other interviews by that point and felt better equipped for the types of questions that are usually proposed. However, the week of the interview was not a week that I want to repeat. We had a frisbee tournament that was located about 4 hours away from Union. As I was driving a car full of my teammates home, I found out one of my classmates from high school unexpectedly passed away. Even though we weren’t that close, it shook my perspectives on things. I had three exams that week and I was struggling to focus. I could not stop thinking about how some of the most influential people in our lives are our teachers – especially K-12 teachers. On the day of my interview, I had my last test. I walked out of the exam and went to my next class... I would have to leave it early to go to the interview. It was not until that moment that I really comprehended a) that I was about to have an interview b) I wanted the position and c) that I wanted to be a teacher. Being a teacher isn’t “wasting potential,” as I had been told so many times before. It is one of the careers that has the most influence and is the exact meaning of “doing something with your life.”

My professor ended class early for me to Zoom into the interview (it was an advanced lab class with three people in it). I made the trek across campus to the library and the interview began. Mark and Kayla were the ones interviewing me. I only remember the last question from the interview... What are you most proud of in life? Hmmm, nope. I was not prepared for that question. However, words came very quickly... Not something that usually happens for me.

I discussed attending a low-income school and being told on my first day of college physics that I was behind. I was confused by the fact that my professor already thought I was behind on day 1. Sadly, he was right. I spent many hours in his office attempting to understand things that my classmates had seen at least once in high school already. I was discouraged to say the least, but with the help of amazing professors, hard work, and about a year of time, I caught up to my classmates. The irony of my answer was not lost on me. I was applying for an internship that is trying to figure out how to decrease the opportunity gap that I had just described. The interview concluded, and I immediately called my mom. I told her that I had no clue how it went, but if I didn’t hear back in the next 24 hours I would have to choose out of my list of medical options due to notification due dates. I was discussing my thought process about which one I would choose with her when my email dinged. I did not believe it. I forwarded the email to my mom to make sure that I was still capable of reading, and sure enough it was an offer for the position. I don’t cry often, but I walked out of the library with a couple tears of joy on my face that day. Talk about a 180. I woke up that morning thinking I would be doing medical stuff for the summer (and probably my life), and I had just accepted a position to work with physics education.

I share this journey only because I hope that other people can understand that teaching is meaningful work. It IS doing something with your life! It took a while for me to get there, and I am so grateful for all the pieces falling into place for me to be here this summer. This opportunity has shown me the aspect of physics that I am truly very passionate about – teaching it to young minds and bridging the gaps. I think I have always known what career I should pursue, but it never felt okay to do so until now. Thank you to all the people that helped in this process! This internship meant a lot to me, and I will forever remember these weeks as I head off to teach in the near future.

This exhibit is quite fitting for this blog, so I will leave this here:

Signing off for good :)