Zion is a 5th year PhD student in the laboratory of Anna Marie Pyle studying the intricate structures of RNA molecules previously thought of as genetic “junk.” Zion has taught students from the elementary to the college level, and some of her favorite teaching moments are when students ask a new question that gets her to think more deeply about the subject material. She especially enjoys teaching biology in a way that explores patterns across different scales and systems in biology. Through her work as a McDougal Graduate Teaching Fellow, she hopes to encouarge others to be both passionate and compassionate educators who can bring the best out of what their students bring into the classroom.