Stephanie Lapera

Teaching was the first profession I remember wanting to pursue, however, my high school chemistry teacher inspired me to take a different path. With the intention of going to pharmacy school, I declared my major in chemistry at San Diego State University. By my senior year in college, I had started working in a research lab and all dreams of pharmacy school faded away. Not feeling fully prepared to enter the workforce, I applied to graduate school to get more hands-on experience in the lab. Graduate school also exposed me to teaching, as I worked through graduate school as a teaching assistant. After graduation I became a senior research associate for a small biotechnology company exploring the synthesis of small molecules, formulating synthetic processes for replication, and documenting data for future use. At night, I taught chemistry part-time, which later evolved into a full-time job as an adjunct professor at multiple community colleges. As an educator, I seek to instill students with practical and useful skills they can apply in the workforce. My position at NAF enables me to merge my background in science, education, and passion for student success to help better prepare students for their college and career goals.