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My career has never followed a straight line — and I’m grateful for that. Every pivot, every setback, every new opportunity has brought me closer to where I was meant to be. Through each career transition — from manufacturing, to medical science, to education — I’ve learned that flexibility and passion are more powerful than any job title. Today, I’m a high school science teacher in rural South Carolina, and though the road here was anything but traditional, it was exactly what I needed to find joy, balance, and purpose. For me, the key to career fulfillment has been in having the courage to adapt when life changes direction.

Following the science

After earning a chemistry degree from Lander University, I began my professional journey in the textile industry, at Milliken & Co. in Abbeville, South Carolina. After the events of September 11, 2001, however, the industry began to decline, and my position was dissolved due to budget cuts. So I transitioned into another manufacturing role, this time at Fujifilm, where I worked as a technical engineering support employee on wet and dry X-ray film processing. I enjoyed the complexity of the work, but as digital photography gained popularity, I saw the writing on the wall, and knew I had to pivot once again — before I was forced to.

That’s when I returned to Lander to earn the necessary credits to apply for a competitive Medical Laboratory Scientist program. As there were only 14 seats available statewide for this program each year, I decided to take the Praxis exam in biology and general science, so that I’d be ready to apply for a teaching job — just in case. This was a small act of foresight that would later shape my life.

After earning a seat and successfully completing the lab science program, I got married and then began working in a hospital laboratory. The work was initially fascinating, and watching physicians use diagnostic data to guide patient care felt meaningful. Unfortunately, over time, the job began to feel repetitive, and I became emotionally distant. Eventually I found myself simply going through the motions at work, and worse, due to the hospital schedule, I was missing weekends and holidays with my growing family.

A leap of faith

One day, during my second pregnancy, I asked my husband what he thought about me becoming a teacher. Without hesitation, he supported me and the idea of another career shift. That summer was a blur — interviews, background checks, an unexpected health issue that led to a long hospital stay, and the birth of our second child. Thanks to the moment of foresight I mentioned above, I already had the qualifications to start my first teaching job, just a few weeks later. I was sleep-deprived and nervous, yet I was filled with hope.

I began teaching at a small rural high school one week into the new school year (the later start was due to the birth of my child). From day one, I could feel that this job was different. Teaching was fulfilling in a way that I could never find in the lab: deep, daily human connection. Further, my experiences in manufacturing and healthcare gave me authentic real-world applications I could use to help students connect to the science I’d teach.

Lessons from the classroom

That first year was exhausting in ways I hadn’t imagined. Teaching demanded emotional energy, relentless adaptability, and a heart-wide-open approach to working with young people. I quickly realized that summer break wasn’t just a perk — it was a necessity.

Even through the exhaustion, that first year of teaching was also rewarding. I had found a career that challenged me to constantly grow, and that allowed me to see my impact every day. Over the next 10 years, I threw myself into improving my practice: refining my lessons, embracing professional development, and learning to meet each student where they were.

Not every student loves science — and that’s okay. My job is to help them see its relevance, whether they eventually pursue nursing, welding, or business. Science teaches us to think, to question, and to connect dots, and I work to bring those connections to life every day.

Bringing it full circle

Education, like science, is ever-evolving. I eventually returned to school online to pursue a master’s degree in biology from Clemson University. My goal was to offer dual-enrollment biology courses and help students earn college credit during high school. Though I needed to continue teaching core science classes at the time and did not have room for the dual-enrollment courses, that degree later opened doors to teaching chemistry lab courses at Lander University and to leading our school’s Teacher Cadet program — both incredible experiences that I cherish.

My school district later offered me the chance to pursue a second master’s degree in education with a focus on instructional technology — an opportunity that became especially valuable during the COVID-19 shutdown. Teaching remotely while helping my own fifth- and second-graders manage their schoolwork was no easy task, but it made me more empathetic, strategic, and creative in my lesson design.

In my element

Teaching has given me what I didn’t realize I was missing — balance, family time, professional growth, and a sense of calling. It is not an easy profession. Students carry more than just backpacks into the classroom; they bring their lives, their struggles, and their stories. As educators, it’s our job to meet them there, to adapt in real time, and to challenge them to grow.

Looking back, every twist in my career path prepared me for this role. Manufacturing taught me discipline. The lab taught me precision. Teaching taught me heart.

So, to anyone considering a career change — especially into education — I say this: if you have the courage to adapt, you may just find yourself exactly where you belong. I didn’t take the straight path. I took the meaningful one. And now, I’m truly in my element.