Thank you so much for making Bio Honors a class I’ll never forget. Coming into this year I would never have predicted that it would turn out being my favorite class, yet I’ve had so many great experiences this year to make it so. I learned more in your class than in any other I’ve taken, and not just about Bio. I learned how to write a proper lab report, how to take notes I’ll actually be able to recall, and how to write a research paper. The ecological issues paper was so much fun to write, surprisingly enough. You’re an amazing teacher, one of the best I’ve ever had. I’ll never forget how passionate you were about the class, and making sure we learned to learn, not to get an A. I’ll never forget all the stories you told every Tuesday when we came to your class for tutorial period, they always made me laugh. Or the look on your face when you received that singing valentine. I wish you the best of luck in the coming year, and those which follow. We’ll all miss you.

Sincerely, 

Noelle Crawford (Bio Hons ‘16-’17)

Words alone cannot describe how much of an impact you have had not only on my love for biology, but on the way I approach complex issues. Through all the flowery “noises” and messes that people claimed was the right thing to do, you were like a breath of fresh air. The more I thought about it, the more I saw the perfection in such simple but powerful ways of teaching as you did. Your commitment to true equity and to making something past the material we are given, has inspired me to always look for the same. Your class, even if there were days where everyone was tired or not as involved in the course material, never had a dull moment. You were a role model for every person in that classroom, because you modeled the perfect balance of strength, humor, and a commitment to higher learning. Most of all, your ability to draw connections between everything somehow made all of the facts and information click. I will miss our conversations that we had in your classroom, especially when I missed tests and you would tell me your philosophy on life! You had such a beautiful way of approaching happiness, and your drive to understand complexity for the sake of understanding the processes that drive our life have inspired me to do the same. Best of all, you acknowledged the power and vast intelligence of the greats of biology allowed us to appreciate the long reaching effects of their experiments. 

Your respect and admiration for students was perhaps one of your most defining qualities. You knew that putting the power in the hands of the students was the key to making them succeed, and because of that, every student in your class improved 10 fold. Even though sometimes we complained about our grades, we knew it wasn't about that- and the challenge pushed us to become better people. It is often said that you know a teacher has done their job when their students do not need them anymore- I would argue that every student in your class is so much better equipped to dealing with challenges and learning new material on their own, and pursuing knowledge for the love of knowledge, not for the mindless accumulation of information. You have truly done your job to the fullest, every single year, and I really hope you know that every student who has gone through your class will use and appreciate the skills you taught them in whatever endeavor they choose. 

I will truly miss you Dr. Krishna, and I will always look back at your class with fond memories. I will miss the chocolate cakes, denim jackets, furry coats, concept maps!,  Biology Club meetings, self confidence, Campbell puns, articles, and discussions. Most of all, I will miss eating foods in your class!!

I know that any student that has you in the future will be extremely lucky, and your unyielding self confidence is why you have remained so amazing all these years- everyone can see that your strict adherence and drive to ensuring that students learn is what makes your class so fascinating and successful. 

Biology is truly as beautiful as you were trying to tell us the entire year! 

Thank you for putting up with all of our antics and putting them to good use :)

All hail phage lambda!!!

-Nishan