I took chemistry at Arrowhead High School sophomore year. I knew I was going to college to major in science but I didn’t quite know what. That was until junior year when I took AP chemistry with Mrs. Ley. 

I remember Mrs. Ley saying, “You are going to have to read out of the book if you want to pass.” Reading out of textbooks and going in for extra help was something I never had to do before, but I spent hours and hours with my face in the book, reading and re-reading every section to make sure I knew what was going on. 

I stayed after class for help or came in early to ask questions. Mrs. Ley wanted me to pass her class, just as she wanted every student in that room to.

One thing Mrs. Ley said to me, as she was handing tests back was, “Hard work pays off.” I had never felt like a teacher cared about me more than in that moment. That phrase and smile she had still sticks with me, as that was the first test in her class that I got a B on (normally I had a C average).  

It shocked me as to how dedicated she was. She put time into helping me as not only a student but a person. We had a 60-minute block class before lunch, so we would have 20 minutes left of free time before lunch started. During those 20 minutes, I stayed in her classroom, getting help on the lesson or listening to her little rants to herself about general chemistry students she had. 

Mrs. Ley wasn’t just a teacher, she was also a math meet supervisor and mother of two children—whom she loved to talk about all the way up to the lunch bell.

Approaching the end of junior year, I asked if she would write a letter of recommendation for me. I knew what she wrote was going to be heartfelt and sincere and that’s why I wanted her to write it. 

As junior year ended, I wouldn’t be seeing her much. Letting her know I would help grade quizzes for her the next year was just one excuse for me to come in and say hi to her all the time. To this day, I still keep in touch with her. Walking into her classroom in the morning just to ask how she is doing. 

Mrs. Ley is passionate, dedicated, and someone I aspire to be. 

Thank you, Mrs. Ley, for helping me through your class and lending me the helping hand I needed to be able to pass. I want you to know you are the reason I am choosing to major in biochemistry in college—making such an impact on my educational career. I want to also thank you for all those conversations we’ve had and for the endless advice you have given me. I will cherish these moments forever.