Anita Abrams, HS Biology Teacher
There is no one thing when it comes to a scientist
Laura Martinez, Staff Writer
Close your eyes and picture a scientist. What do you see?
It was in eleventh grade that High School Biology Teacher Anita Abrams’s perspective changed.
Scientists could look like her.
“Having a female teacher was instrumental for me,” she said. “It was great to see a woman as opposed to the image you might have about scientists and science teachers.”
Growing up, Anita spent hours in the library, fueled by an insatiable curiosity. That’s when she realized that a career in science would stimulate her intellectually while allowing her to help others.
As a tenacious 16-year-old, Anita was determined to gain experience in the field. For six months, she aggressively pursued an internship at a local hospital, finally landing one in a pathology lab where she learned about histopathology, cytology, and microbiology.
“That changed everything for me,” she said. “The scientists I saw ranged in age, appearance, race, and gender. It was a melting pot of scientists who were helping people every day.”
Anita went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science (Honors) in biomedical science, medical microbiology, and bacteriology from the University of West England. She then spent a year as a trainee biomedical scientist in a hospital lab. It took being offered a full-time position for her to realize what she enjoyed most about the job was interacting with visiting students. That’s when she knew her future lay in education.
With a postgraduate diploma of education from the University of Birmingham, Anita has taught biology in the United Kingdom, Qatar, and now at Graded. She hopes to give students real-world experiences and show them how science relates to global issues—all while being herself in her “most authentic form.”
“I love that with science, you get to ask questions, some of which have no answers, with the hope that I am giving the students in front of me the tools to find the answers one day,” she said. “The questions that we ask, and even get to test, are vital to the future of [human] development.”
Anita’s advice for future scientists:If you have a vision of what a scientist looks like in your head, erase it and put yourself at the center. You are the scientist. Be resilient. You will spend a lot of time researching things that might not work out. And push for things. Every opportunity that comes your way, take it. And know that what you’re going into is important. Once you find that passion and that niche, embrace it. |
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