Positive influences led to teaching

Teacher Feature: Mr. Fuellas – Science

Diverse+experiences+contributed+to+career+choice.

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Diverse experiences contributed to career choice.

During this year of Distance Learning, with the most recent addition of in-person classes, Mr. Sherwood Fuellas is teaching Environmental Science, but in his five years at Armijo, he has also taught Living Earth Biology (LEB) and IB Biology.

“I had positive influences in college that guided me to where I am… Brad Paschal was my Biology teacher at Solano Community College. He gave me an interest in Biology,” he said. “I enjoy the subject area and I always enjoyed interacting with young adults.”

Mr. Fuellas’s own high school experiences were divided into two separate sides of the United States. He attended Pearl City High School in Pearl City, Hawaii on the island of Oahu, and Salem High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He then decided to attend Solano Community College for three years and spent four years at UC Davis.

While he is enjoying his current career, he has worked in several different industries over the years. “I have worked in the hotel industry, cytology work in a laboratory setting and previous to this several labor type jobs (Warehouse/Delivery),” he said.

Now that he’s settled on teaching, however, he would encourage other students to pursue it as a career. “You will never know what something is like if you don’t’ try it,” he said. “To have me explain it to you would be like sending you a post card of Hawaii and explaining what it’s like. You have to experience it yourself to know if it’s for you. Everyone brings something different to the table and you will, too.”

Teaching during a pandemic seems challenging, but Mr. Fuellas recognizes that the world is making decisions at every level. “I think we are all going through it together, so I don’t feel alone in dealing with it,” he said. “I think we are all figuring it out as we go.”

Figuring things out along the way is something that Mr. Fuellas enjoys. He has several interests and tries “to dabble in a little of everything. I enjoy sports of all types. I have never done any real traveling but hope to someday. I love to cook and like to try different restaurants when given the chance,” he said.