Noyce Scholar Profile
Andrew Kulesa
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Physics
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Secondary Education
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
SUNY Oneonta
Current academic or teaching status:
Junior
School and school district:
SUNY Oneonta
Background:
I am Andrew Kulesa and I am from Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. I graduated from Comsewogue High School and I am currently pursuing a degree in Physics Education. I enjoy reading book and comics and playing guitar.
Why do you want to teach:
I would like to teach to make science fun again in the same fashion as Bill Nye the Science Guy or Neil Degrasse Tyson. I believe by making it fun and interesting to kids, especially the underprivileged, it can provide opportunities for those students to prosper
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
After a long week of working with a science teacher in New York City with my fellow NOYCE Scholar, we ended up in the cafeteria for lunch that Friday. This was unusual for the week where we would usually sit down somewhere for lunch. During the week, one of the students would always find some way to ask us some questions about the topic. That same student came up to us to where we were sitting and asked if he could join us. When it was almost time to leave, he thanked us for being so cool and told us “you guys are going to be great teachers.” It was obvious to me that I made an impact on him and he looked up to me. This moment fuels me to become a great role model to kids and the society I am apart of.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The NOYCE Program has given me unforgettable opportunities and great knowledge. I have had the pleasure of working with different kinds of kids from the area surrounding Oneonta to high-needs districts in New York City. These experiences has shaped the way I look at the world; it is my job to be able to teach any and all students and not just the “good ones.” In my mind, “Failure is not an option” and with my NOYCE program, I don’t plan on stumbling, I plan on learning and growing. I believe with this program, I will be able to teach science anywhere in the country.
