Noyce Scholar Profile
Alex Pepin
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Chemistry
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Chemistry, grade 10; General Science, grade 9
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Noyce Scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
University of Minnesota
Current academic or teaching status:
First year teaching in 2011-12 school year
School and school district:
Watertown-Mayer High School, Watertown-Mayer School District
Background:
I have an undergraduate degree in chemistry along with many hours of volunteer experience in the classroom as an undergraduate. I also had a research fellowship during the summer of my Junior year as an undergraduate in the department of chemistry at the University of Minnesota. I am now finishing up my Master’s of Education at the University of Minnesota and will be starting my first year of teaching this fall.
Why do you want to teach:
I want to teach and enjoy teaching because of the kids. I really enjoy seeing the students learn and being a part of that experience for them. I also really enjoy getting the students excited about science and have a great time seeing them have a great time with the subject matter.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
The most memorable experience I had in teaching was going back into the classroom where I did my student teaching and having one of the students tell me that I made science fun for them, and they really appreciated my effort in teaching them. That meant a lot to me.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce program has done two major things for me. The first is that it made my education more affordable. I would have had to take out a considerable loan if not for the Noyce scholarship. As a teacher and having a wife who is a teacher, avoiding debt is a very good thing for us. Also, the Noyce interviews that were and continue to be conducted really prepared me for the interviews that I had during my job search. I felt they gave me a leg up on some other candidates.
