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Science
Teresa Gaskill
When it comes to teaching biology, Teresa Gaskill’s approach is anything but textbook. From gardening to collecting marine data in Costa Rica, Teresa is providing real world, hands-on education that engages students and gets them excited about science.
“I love to see the spark in their eyes when they start to understand a concept,” said Teresa. “My favorite thing is to hear from students who come back and keep in touch. It’s great to see their success.”
With a background in botany, Teresa has been teaching biology at SPC for almost 15 years. She started the garden at the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus as a way to incorporate hands-on learning and her love of plants into her classes. Students embraced it, starting the Garden Club and volunteering, and the garden now has two accessible raised beds.
In 2024, she traveled with students to Costa Rica to study tropical ecology, and this summer, thanks to an Innovation Grant from the SPC Foundation, she’ll travel with Dr. Stephanie Palomino and a group of students to the Galapagos Islands to continue their research.
Last year, Teresa helped start Science Week to offer even more ways to engage and inspire students. This year’s event will focus on space and feature astrobiologist Dr. Amy Williams as a guest speaker. These experiences, along with the small class sizes and diversity of students, are what make SPC so special, she says.
“The mission of SPC is very close to my heart. I feel like I can make an impact here,” she said. “I like having a 16-year-old and a 65-year-old in class. Having people from all backgrounds and experiences brings a lot of interesting perspectives to class. I learn a lot.”
Clearly she’s making an impact as she often has students who’ve gone on to have a career in biology or medicine come back to tell her thank you. They share how their experiences, like learning to write a lab report, set them up for success.
In 2025, Teresa was recognized with the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) Excellence Award. Outside of SPC, she shares her love of science by teaching afterschool programs and camps. With every seed planted, Teresa continues to cultivate curiosity and a lifelong love of learning by helping students not just study science but experience it.
