A Seattle native with deep connections to the city’s scientific community, biologist and teacher Kelsey Kovarik (Van Dalfsen) is passionate about inspiring future scientists as well as promoting the development of a scientifically literate general population. Kelsey holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Elon University in North Carolina and received her doctorate in molecular and cell biology in 2018 from the University of California, Berkeley. Throughout her career, Kelsey has participated in programs that bring the sciences to students from a diversity of backgrounds. Among her favorites are volunteering with the Bay Area Scientists in Schools program and co-coordinating at UC Berkeley the NIH Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program, a summer research internship for community college students from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in the life sciences. While originally intending to teach at the college level, as Kelsey accumulated experience in research, teaching, and volunteering with young people, she found that her passion lay in teaching high school students how to think like scientists and embrace the joy in learning.