A New Face in Science by Ayaana Gupta
Students and staff welcomed Ms. Ivyanna Rosa as the New Forensic Science and Anatomy and Physiology teacher this year. She brought a strong background with a major in biomedical science, bringing in opportunities for students interested in pursuing the science field. With college years at Eastern Florida, high school life for Ms. Rosa at Cocoa Beach High School was fun but busy. Managing the IB program and 3 sports including volleyball, soccer, and lacrosse meant she had a lot on her plate. Part of the reason Ms. Rosa stayed motivated was her great grandfather, Opa. She said “He raised me and shaped everything like my work ethic, and he taught me to be open minded.” On top of her extracurriculars and academic life, Ms. Rosa volunteered at the Brevard Zoo, participated in community beach cleanups, and after 11th grade she transferred to FLVS for online school.
At around 16, Ms. Rosa wanted to become a doctor and later on took 2 classes of Anatomy and Physiology in her 2nd year of college.“ I shadowed doctors and did internships. I wanted to teach something I liked.” said Ms. Rosa. Before coming to Mel, Ms. Rosa was working in the medical field. Ms. Rosa said “I was an outpatient trauma medical assistant for 4 years, and I also worked as a researcher for Vaxxinity, running tests for neurosurgeons and working on migraines.” She liked working on migraines because she herself had struggled with migraines and being able to work on that was personal. She is planning to go to med school, but for now she applied here at Mel High. She had to apply to the State of Florida, then the county, then get a bachelor's, and take tests in order to become a teacher.
During her first couple weeks teaching high school, Ms. Rosa has most enjoyed learning and hearing what kids want to do later in life. For her Anatomy and Physiology class, she most enjoyed learning about the immune system. For Forensic science, she most enjoyed doing the lab aspect of it, like testing DNA. Many students who joined these classes are interested in going into the science field. To the students, Ms. Rosa wanted to advise that “Science is a hard field, don't limit yourself and stay open minded.” She liked to repeat this quote to herself whenever she felt down: “Onwards and Upwards.”
Caption:
IN THE CLASSROOM:
Ms. Ivyanna Rosa teaches the forensics and anatomy and physiology classes this school year in building 10. Ms. Rosa joined the Mel High staff this year. In class, students learned about the subject through PowerPoints and Ms. Rosa explaining. She wanted to remind the students to “believe in yourself and don't let anyone make you feel like your goals are unattainable.”
Photo by Ayaana Gupta