Noyce Scholar Profile
Mary Katharine Ramos-Negrete
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Fisheries
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: High School Science
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Fifth year or post-baccalaureate Noyce scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
Clemson TigersTeach
Current academic or teaching status:
First Year in MAT program
School and school district:
n/a
Background:
I grew up in a big family with parents that really encouraged learning for learning’s sake. So I grew up having an innate curiosity particularly about the natural world. As a teenager I had little naturalist notebooks of my observations and diagrams of plants, animals and natural processes. This love of nature and biology led me to pursue a degree in fisheries from Auburn University.
Why do you want to teach:
I loved getting my degree in fisheries but junior year I discovered that I got the most joy and did the most good teaching others. I was a biology tutor for the athletics department and I really enjoyed seeing the athletes learn. I also taught at an art camp in Auburn and that’s where I really began to love teaching. I really enjoyed researching and compiling lesson plans for the kids. Also, as the oldest of five kids I had been “teaching” science at the dinner table for about 10 years! So after a little deliberation I decided to pursue a graduate degree in teaching science after finishing my undergrad. Clemson was the perfect fit!
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
My main memorable experience of teaching was teaching one day at an art camp about Salvador Dali. I loved seeing the kids faces light up as I told them about the eccentric artist. And in my mind I was thinking, “If they think this is cool, then photosynthesis would knock their socks off!”. It was that summer that I realized if you have the knowledge and enthusiasm for a subject then it’s a ton of fun to teach and fun to learn.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce TigersTeach scholarship means a lot to me. It allowed me to pursue this degree without financial constraints and it allows me access to multiple resources for becoming a better teacher.
