Macon State College MVPs is a web feature that profiles notable students, alumni, faculty and staff.

Family: Husband, Carl Schmidt; son, Ben; and four dogs, Jebediah Walgreen III, Omar, Cleo, and Toby.

Job Title: Assistant professor of biology.

Degrees: Bachelor of science in biology education, Indiana University of Pennsylvania; master of science in biology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania; doctorate in wildlife and fisheries sciences, Texas A&M University.

Year she joined the Macon State faculty: 2002.

Some of her teaching career highlights are … “Being involved in developing the curriculum for the new biology major. I was able to be on the ground level of designing the programs for the bachelor’s degree in biology, as well as some of the specific courses.”

She enjoys teaching at Macon State College because … “The emphasis at is on the teaching and that is where my primary interest lies.”

Her favorite course to teach is … “I have to say that for the most part I enjoy teaching all of the classes that I have. Different classes offer different opportunities to me as an instructor. For example, biology for non-majors is the perfect opportunity for me to introduce interesting concepts from the field of biology to an audience that either fears science, doesn’t like it, or hasn’t had it in years. My goal with the non-majors is to get them interested in biology while at the same time giving them information they can use when they move on from Macon State. With the biology majors, I figure they are already interested in the topic, so my goal is to challenge them to improve the skills that they need to be top-notch scientists. We go on field trips and have interactive laboratories. They have to demonstrate their ability to write clearly by turning in a research proposal.”

One thing people don’t know about Macon State is … “The array of student organizations that are available on campus. For a non-resident campus, these clubs offer students an experience similar to what they might get on a resident campus in terms of socializing, camaraderie, and lifelong friendships.”

One thing people don’t know about her is … “I was once stranded in a Louisiana marsh when the airboat we were in sunk. Luckily we were rescued by a helicopter returning from an oil rig. Field work =good times.”

In her spare time she likes to … “Read, travel and hang out with my family.”

The one person she’d most like to meet is … “Stephen Colbert. I think that he is one of the funniest people out there. I imagine spending some time with him would be hilarious.”

If she wasn’t a college professor she would be a ... “This is tough because I’m not sure my skill set makes me employable in any profession except this one. Just kidding! I think it’d be nice to own a small coffee plantation in Costa Rica and have ecotourists come down to see the cool birds while I sit on the porch and drink coffee.”