The teachers who stand out in my education have all shared some important characteristics: 1) they broke down complex topics and guided their students through each individual component; 2) they framed the knowledge into a context so that its relevance outside the classroom was clear, and 3) they made their own excitement for the subject matter contagious. These teachers, from elementary to graduate school, have greatly influenced my approach to teaching, and I strive to perfect these attributes myself as I facilitate learning in every setting in which I teach whether it is the classroom, the laboratory, or elsewhere.