In 2008, I used this piece about Chumki Gupta as an Academic Decathlon speech. I also entered it in the Real Woman Essay Contest; it won and I was asked to do a reading of the piece on a local channel.
I have always been passionate about English. I started reading when I was four and ever since then I have wanted to be a writer. Considering my love of English, many are surprised that while Journalism, Shakespeare and other literature courses are co-owners of my heart—to this day, my favorite class is AP Biology with Mrs. Gupta.
AP Biology was my junior-year introduction to the human body’s muscles and bones as well as Mrs. Chumki Gupta’s mind and heart. She is an amazing teacher who takes her students beyond knowledge to understanding to perhaps even a friendship with biology. Under her guidance, I fell in love with ATP-synthase (a knob-shaped enzyme that rotates to make cellular energy); Watson and Crick with their creative scientific methods; and axolotls, salamanders that always seem to grin. Naturally, it was easy to love Mrs. Gupta’s energy, creativity and smile.
Mrs. Gupta takes her students to foreign places. For our Christmas party, she made mango shakes to share her Bengal/Indian culture with us and encouraged us to bring in our own. As our Academic Decathlon coach, Mrs. Gupta suggested trips to the National Civil War museum, personal flash cards as study aids and full immersion in the material as a formula for success. I was most touched was when she asked to take part in my youth acting company’s projects, went to various Shakespeare performances and expressed her love for the arts.
But wait…how can a science person love the arts? People meet her enthusiasm for the arts as they greet my love for the sciences—with disbelief. But she doesn’t let anyone’s expectations hinder her.
As Renaissance men, Durer, da Vinci, and Brunelleschi are respected for their work in the humanities (like sculpting, painting, writing) and sciences (like mathematics, anatomy, astronomy). When women, however, want to master multiple fields, they are either laughed at or marveled at because their aspirations are “so bold.” Mrs. Gupta ignores stereotypes and finds her own Renaissance while still being a loving mother to two children, a great sounding board for male-related angst and the owner of a pink Motorola Razr.
As a girl torn between biology and English, I appreciate Mrs. Gupta’s bold defiance. She taught me that it’s okay to be interested in multiple subjects and that I don’t have to choose. In fact, when I grow up, I’ll be proud to pack a single conversation with bits about trypsin, myosin, fiction, diction, Albert Einstein, and internal rhyme.
Truly great teachers and great women reach out beyond where they’re expected to reach—Mrs. Gupta reached out and pulled me not only into the wonderful world of biology past anywhere Billy Nye might’ve taken me, but also into a rich, colorful world filled with many cultures and their modes of expression.
That’s why I love AP Biology and Mrs. Gupta so much: they have opened the world for me and me to the world.
