From memorizing bird calls to breeding fruit flies, new teacher Elena Shapiro-Albert has many experiences in the field of biology. She shares her expertise with her students as a ninth-grade Biology and Honors Biology teacher.
Shapiro-Albert is originally from Baltimore, Maryland and recently graduated from Goucher College as a biology major. Before moving to Florida mid-July, Shapiro-Albert did independent research on fruit flies in a genetics lab and stayed in New Zealand for six months studying ecology. She said she found ecology and evolution the most fun to study.
Although this is her first time having her own classroom, Shapiro-Albert was a teaching assistant in college and volunteer coordinator for the Kid’s Cultural Program at Goucher’s Futuro Latino Learning Center.
After applying for many jobs, Shapiro-Albert decided to move to Florida to teach at Trinity.
“I did not really mind where I was living, and I really wanted to be teaching,” Shapiro-Albert said.
Although English was her favorite class in high school, Shapiro-Albert eventually found a passion for biology.
“I kept having really good science teachers, and I was not the best at it, but I really enjoyed it,” Shapiro-Albert said. “I just stuck with it, because it was really interesting.”
Shapiro-Albert looks forward to teaching and learning about her students during her first year at Trinity.
“I’m excited for a lot of things,” Shapiro-Albert said. “One of the best things and one of the most exciting things is getting to know my students.”
Outside of the classroom, Shapiro-Albert enjoys baking, musical theater, and hiking. One of her most memorable hikes was in the South Island of New Zealand.
“We would just drive in the evenings, park somewhere, sleep, wake up really early with the sun and go hiking all day, and that was probably one of the most fun experiences of my life,” Shapiro-Albert said.
