I view teaching as a mechanism for social justice.”
Liz’s Story
Liz Beans has wanted to be a teacher since elementary school, where amazing educators guided her development year after year. For her, the true joy of learning lies in the discovery process. In high school, Liz felt most fulfilled in a science class where a single period could be filled with countless aha moments. She pursued her interest in science and research as an undergraduate at Mills College; a medicinal chemist at a biotechnology company; and a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry at Stanford University.
A recipient of a Novartis Graduate Fellowship and the Leonore Annenberg Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship, Liz has worked as a university teaching assistant and a high school outreach coordinator for Stanford’s Chemistry Department. When a student during an outreach visit posed a great question, Liz invited her to offer an answer and test her hypotheses. “With that prompting, she set out exploring on her own. She learned about the scientific process in addition to learning the answer to her question.”
Liz has studied abroad and traveled extensively. She began taking ballet classes at age three and has been dancing ever since. She has studied many forms of dance from swing to Indian dance of Odissi and has performed in numerous contexts, from a musical theater production to a fledgling modern dance company.