Stephanie Marshall has been named the Winter 2017 Undergraduate of the Quarter and we couldn’t be happier for her. Stephanie was born and raised in Sherwood Oregon, where she went to Sherwood High School; it was here, she discovered her love for teaching chemistry.

Although Stephanie has always been interested in science and teaching, during high school she had yet to determined if it would be the correct path for her. During sophomore year she had OSU alumnus John McGinity as her teacher. She explained that once he noticed her interest in science and teaching he took her under his wing, and guided her towards the tools she would need to make an informed decision about her professional future.

Even though both her mom and her mentor Mr. McGinity both graduated from OSU, Stephanie reported that it still took 4 visits to campus to decide this is the place she wanted to call home. The deciding factor was her visit to the education department.  They showed her a great program for her duel major, and she also discovered that the local schools where she could student teach at were also excellent.

Although she is an Undergraduate she has signed on as a T.A. for the CH12X series. She explained that it will be helpful for her teaching experiences as a high school teacher because, “I learned that high school students really like to push your buttons and college students it’s even more.” Even with the hardships of having many students testing their boundaries, she was still shocked to see how dedicated many of her students could be.

When asked about the future Stephanie revealed she hadn’t completely decided her path yet. With her starting her first year of student teaching next year, Stephanie believes that it would be best to wait until after she gets advice from high school teachers before deciding her career path.

The time that Stephanie spends outside of Chemistry is usually outdoors. “I like to be outside a lot; I love to hike, and with the nice weather I do a lot outdoors.  I play beach volleyball which is a lot of fun, and do yoga when I’m not playing beach volleyball. It’s just a lot of outdoor activities.” She likes to go hiking in the gorge, explaining that she loved Blue Place because it was so awe-inspiring.

Students like Stephanie are a huge part of what makes our Department so great. We wish her well in student teaching and wherever else her path may take her next.