If you walk around the Rosary halls, you’ve probably seen Mrs. Hunt around Room 2 with her festive decorations for each passing holiday or season. But have you ever thought to wonder how Mrs. Hunt amassed her extensive and seemingly endless knowledge about the many facets of science? I took to the case of Mrs. Hunt’s genius with some of my own curiosities to get to the bottom of what makes Mrs. Hunt so informed on the wonders of biology and chemistry and how she ended up with all of her smarts intact.

• What made you realize that you wanted to study science? Had you always wanted to be a teacher?

A: I have always loved Science! My grade school teachers made science so interesting… and they really focused on learning parts of words so we were able to dissect the large words easily. This made learning science much more fun in life. And I have always wanted to either teach science or be a doctor… after a lot of thought at the end of college, I chose to teach science! 

• What was your experience as a woman in STEM in college? 

A: I have a bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Sociology. I really enjoyed it! I tell my classes lots of crazy stories of my experiences as a Biology major… so many interesting moments. The Biology program at Villanova was incredibly competitive, but I persevered. It was a pretty good mix of men and women, probably a few more men than women, but there was a lot of female representation in my classes and labs. I always felt very confident and surrounded by friends! 

• What has been your experience teaching something you love to students at Rosary? 

A: It makes me happy every day. I love seeing the faces and hearing the expressions of understanding and interest when my students learn something new in my classes.

• What is your favorite type of science to learn about?

A: I like all sorts of branches of science… it’s so hard to choose! Microbiology (bacteria and viruses) encompasses some of my favorite learning. It’s all around us and so important to understand. I also love studying the body systems and learning about mitosis (and utilizing the finger puppets). Forensic chemistry is very interesting… and molecular gastronomy (chemistry in the kitchen)!  So many fun things to study! 

• Is there any kind of science that you’ve recently learned about and are excited to further explore? 

A: Molecular gastronomy is the most recent science I’ve learned more about with the pandemic keeping us home last spring, I was looking for something fun and new to infuse into my chemistry classes that might interest my students too. I showed them how to make powdered Nutella and how to make jelly caviar out of any fruit juice… I had a blast and I hope my students enjoyed it too. 

Personally, as a current student of Mrs. Hunt in AP Biology, I can definitely feel my brain get bigger every time she speaks (although I am sure she’d say that that is not scientifically possible). Rosary is so lucky to have passionate and extremely knowledgeable educators like Mrs. Hunt on campus changing the lives of Royals every day. Make sure you stop by Mrs. Hunt’s room to check up on the ever-changing décor, and while you’re there, maybe ask a few science questions you’ve been wondering about. But take it from me, a student of Mrs. Hunt for two years now: don’t ask her if blood is blue– it 100% is not!