Editor’s Note: This is the first installment in a five-part series. 

Freshman year I walked into biology already dreading another course in my least favorite subject. I already had my favorite classes picked out and I genuinely thought there was no chance I’d like any kind of science I was forced to take. Always walking into the class with a bored look on my face, Mr. Jayson Foster was a teacher to actually call me out on it and turn my mindset around for the better. Bio quickly went from a class I absolutely dreaded, to one I looked forward to in my day all thanks to the teacher I was luckily placed with.

Mr. Foster was always enthusiastically cracking cheesy jokes most most of his students just brushed aside, but his upbeat attitude to the tired freshmen he was placed with made the class so much more bearable. It took away from some tedious assignments, and made the more fun crime scene projects so much better. He was always there to talk to students if need be, and was more than happy to help. If it weren’t for Mr. Foster, I definitely would not have adopted an open mindset for the rest of my high school years, let alone for science as a whole.

It’s hard to believe that I’m going to be graduating in a matter of days, because it feels like it was just yesterday that I was sitting in the back of Mr. Foster’s bio class doing projects and assignments on Henrietta Lacks. So thank you, Mr. Foster, for setting my high school years off on a brighter note and inspiring me to approach all school has to offer with an open mind. Also, thanks for being so willing to write my letters of recommendation this year, it made all the difference!