As a teaching assistant for general chemistry in graduate school I was told, “It’s ok to be nervous the first day.” When the students arrived to my first class, I realized that a Ph.D. in chemistry was not the path my life would take. I found my passion: a chance to share my love of chemistry; a chance to open the eyes of young people, to show them the world from a different perspective. The Presidential Award is recognition that I made the right choice. It is one of the greatest honors I can imagine.

Kara Pezzi Appleton, WI | 7-12, Science, 2011

The official biography below was current at the time of the award.

Kara Pezzi has taught for 20 years. For the past 14 years, she has been at Appleton East High School, where she currently teaches Chemistry and Advanced Placement Chemistry. Prior to that, Kara taught at Appleton West High School and Wautoma High School. In her chemistry classes, Kara supports student learning through laboratory inquiry and the critical analysis of data. Outside the classroom, she has worked with students to monitor Apple Creek as part of the Lower Fox River Watershed Monitoring Program. Beyond the classroom, Kara works with teachers as coordinator of Northeast Wisconsin ChemShare and on the leadership team in a university course focused on content-area literacy. She was a mentor for the United States National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) team and is now the USNCO coordinator for northeast Wisconsin.  Kara has been an active member of the American Chemical Society and the Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers where she served on the board of directors and several committees.  Kara has a B.S., cum laude, in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Superior and an M.S. in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she also earned her teaching certification. She is a National Board Certified Teacher in adolescent and young adulthood science.

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