I had the privilege of taking AP chem this year and our final exam is tomorrow. Our scores on this exam will determine whether or not we can have college credit for our work this year, so it's a big deal! This class has been my absolute all-time favorite and it seems wrong to end it without writing a love letter of sorts.
I remember my amazing physics teacher, mentor, and science hero encouraging me to take AP chem during my senior year, and to be honest, I was terrified and there was a small piece of me that thought she was crazy. I took honors chemistry my sophomore year, and fiery labs excluded, I had no idea what was going on most of the time. However, I couldn't argue with her, and I followed her advice and signed up. I was nervous for the challenges ahead, but I already knew my chem teacher a little bit from Science National Honor Society and I had a good feeling about the class because I knew I'd have a wonderful teacher.
There are fifteen people in my class and it's amazing how close we've become over the past few months. We've struggled and celebrated, formed Facebook survival groups, celebrated birthdays and holidays, messed up labs, laughed and cried, failed quizzes, passed tests, and so much more! Looking back, one of my favorite things about the class is my classmates. We've all taught each other so much about science and life and friendship, and there are no words to express how much I love all of them. I'm definitely going to cry when I sign their yearbooks and it will be hilariously uncomfortable for everyone. To my science family, I love you.
This class has completely ignited my love for chemistry and reinforced my decision to pursue pharmacy. I hated myself for choosing AP chem during the first quarter and there were many days when I needed encouragement during that time, but my friends and teachers helped me through it and after we started the thermochemistry unit, it became so much fun. The labs were sooo cool. We got to use really cool equipment, play with universal indicator (my fave!), and titrate all sorts of solutions (a.k.a. drop the base). I have a running list of my favorite lab equipment (volumetric flask, buret, pipet, cuvette) and the labs helped me gain a better understanding of the math and concepts. AP chem was the class that I WANTED to spend extra time studying. It was the class that I always told my mom about when she asked about my day this year. It was challenging and interesting, and that made it all the more rewarding. To chemistry, I love you.
The actual physical classroom is very cool, too. It is conveniently close to the bathrooms and it's adjacent to the lab. The wall is decorated with hilarious memes and science jokes and there is a massive periodic table on the other wall. The front of the room is a lab demo desk and there is always something interesting written on the dry erase board. The lab smells like a mix of rubbing alcohol, marshmallows, paper towels, and plastic aprons. The classroom and lab have become my nest and my home this year, a save harbor where I can go at the end of the day to relax and learn. To C104, I love you.
The best thing about AP chem, in my opinion, has been our teacher, Mrs. Jutzeler. She is superlative in every way, like Mary Poppins, except cooler and better (even though she doesn't like Star Wars). From day one, she has always been looking out for us. One of the best things about her is that she has always known exactly what we need and she finds the perfect balance between challenge and encouragement. She has given us the perfect year to remember by fostering a spirit of camaraderie and helping us organize fun days after especially tough units. Between the unforgettable Christmas party, sterno gel labs for no reason, tie-dye day, and ice cream, she helped us enjoy the class and grow as a team. It is remarkable that she has sacrificed so much of her personal time for us by writing letters of recommendation, giving advice and life lessons, and most importantly, teaching us chemistry! She is very emotionally invested in seeing us succeed and she is a true teacher. I wish that she could teach all of my chemistry classes in college because she's honestly that amazing. To Orange Jutz, you are our hero and we all love you more than we can say. A million thanks to you for all that you've done for us.
I thank God every time I think about AP chem because the class has been a total blessing, something constant during a year of changes. No matter how tomorrow goes, I am so grateful for everything and I will never forget the memories.
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