From certified biology teacher to founder of STEM Seeds Academy — the story behind leaving traditional education to build something more personal.
I loved my students. I want to be clear about that upfront, because what I'm about to say could sound like a criticism of teaching — and it's not. It's a criticism of a system that makes it nearly impossible to do right by every student in a classroom of 30.
The Moment I Knew Something Had to Change
I was in my third year of teaching biology when I had a student — I'll call her Maya — who was brilliant. She asked the most interesting questions in class. She was curious about everything. And she was failing.
Not because she wasn't smart. Not because she wasn't trying. But because the pace of the classroom, the style of the assessments, and the structure of the curriculum weren't built for how she processed information. She needed more time. She needed to learn by touching, building, and seeing — not by reading and memorizing. And I didn't have the time, in a 50-minute period with 29 other students, to give her what she needed.
I went home that night and couldn't shake it. How many students like Maya were falling through the cracks, not despite their intelligence but because of a system that wasn't designed to reach them?
What I Learned Running a STEM Camp
Before launching STEM Seeds Academy, I ran a STEM summer camp through a Hillsborough County charter school. That experience changed everything. In a small-group, hands-on environment, I watched students who had been labeled "struggling" light up. They were building circuits, dissecting owl pellets, designing bridges — and they were thriving.
The takeaway wasn't that those students suddenly became smarter over the summer. The takeaway was that the environment had finally caught up to how they actually learned.
"The classroom isn't broken because of bad teachers. It's strained by structural constraints that make true individualization almost impossible at scale."
Why I Built STEM Seeds Academy
I left the traditional classroom to build something that could do what the classroom often can't: meet each student exactly where they are. A tutoring practice with certified, passionate educators. Homeschool support for families who've chosen a different path. Hands-on classes small enough that every student actually gets to do the experiment.
The name "STEM Seeds Academy" comes from that fundamental belief: every student carries the potential to grow into something remarkable. Our job is to find the right conditions for that seed to take root.
I don't know what happened to Maya after that school year. But I think about her every time a student at STEM Seeds Academy has their click moment — the moment something that felt impossible suddenly makes sense. That's why I planted new seeds. And it's why I'll keep planting them.