Noyce Scholar Profile
Delgel Pabalan
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Biological Sciences
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Biology, Grades 9-12
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Fifth year or post-baccalaureate Noyce scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
University of California Davis/MAST Program
Current academic or teaching status:
Biology Teacher, Year 2
School and school district:
Tracy High School, Tracy Unified School District
Background:
I earned my Bachelor’s degree from University of California Davis, and I have continued being an Aggie ever since. I received my teaching credential from UC Davis and performed my student teaching in the Sacramento Area. I first encountered the Math and Science Teaching (MAST) Program at UC Davis as an undergraduate. I have been fortunate to be a part of this program ever since, and it has lead me to being a Noyce Scholar.
Why do you want to teach:
I love sharing my enthusiasm about science. Science can be hard, but if presented in an engaging and exciting manner, learning it becomes easier. I hope that after completing my class, I have enticed a handful or more students in pursuing a career in science.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
One of the many memorable teaching experience I had was at the end of my 1st year teaching. I have missed the last three days of school attending the conference. I came back to see a whiteboard filled with notes from my students. One of them said, “Ms. Del, thanks for putting up with me for the entire year,” and this came from one of my more troublesome kids. This little piece of note had summed up the good and the bad about teaching. But as always, the silver lining always prevails.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
Noyce was everything to me. Without it, I wouldn’t have entered teaching. I’ve always had teaching in the back of my mind, but just like many individuals, financing my education was a dilemma. Noyce had funded my education and continued my pathway to becoming a teacher. In addition, Noyce gave me a great supportive community—people that I could always count on.
