Noyce Scholar Profile
Gabriel Ting
Undergraduate major or graduate field of study: Secondary Education Chemistry
Subject area(s) and grade level teaching focus: Middle School and High School Chemistry
Category of scholarship/fellowship:
Fifth year or post-baccalaureate Noyce scholar
Name of Noyce institution:
New York University
Current academic or teaching status:
First/last year of Master's Program
School and school district:
New Design High School, District 2
Background:
I’m a second generation Chinese American with parents (who both have college degrees) and a younger brother. My family has always made education a top priority so going to college was always something that I knew I was going to do. I was always interested in science and health, especially throughout middle school and high school, so I went into college being a pre-med student with a major in Nutrition with a minor in Chemistry, believing I would become a doctor. However during senior year, I realized that there are many ways to help people other than practicing medicine and decided I could do so as a teacher.
Why do you want to teach:
I always knew I wanted to work with kids, and I wanted to do something that would make a difference and influence their lives positively, so I always planned on becoming a pediatrician. When senior year of college came, I realized that I didn’t want to do this anymore. I was told that I wouldn’t be able to save all the kids I would be treating and that to protect myself, I would have to view them not as people but as “projects” and “pieces of meat”. This was something that I knew I wouldn’t be able to do so I tried to think of something else I could do that also involved kids. That is where the idea of becoming a teacher came to mind.
Describe a memorable teaching experience:
A memorable teaching experience actually happened this fall when I was student teaching. I was sick for a couple days so I wasn’t able to go to student teaching but when I came back, students were welcoming me back and telling me that they missed me. It made me feel really happy, knowing that the students actually cared and wanted me there. It helped me see that I was making a difference in their lives and my efforts were not going on unnoticed.
What does the Noyce program mean to you:
The Noyce Program has given me an opportunity to go to graduate school and get my masters, without having to worry about finances. It has also opened my eyes to teaching high school students, which wasn’t something I really considered until I entered the Noyce Program. (I was planning on teaching elementary). Without Noyce, I probably would of never known how much I enjoy being with and teaching high school students.
