A native of Portland, Oregon, Alpha Omega Academy science teacher Lauren Strand earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry from Eastern Oregon University. While pursuing her PhD in organic chemistry at Oregon State University, Strand realized she didn’t want to conduct research for the rest of her life and decided to pursue teaching instead. She earned her master’s degree in teaching from Western Oregon University and taught chemistry at a Catholic high school for five years before joining the science department at Alpha Omega Academy in 2015.
“The ‘aha!’ moment is the most rewarding part of teaching,” Strand said. “I also love hearing from former students that they remember a funny song or rhyme and it helped them in their college classes.”
As a high school student, Strand was involved in sports, music, and youth group. Her favorite high school activity was serving as a counselor at a week-long science camp for 6th grade students.
Today, she and her husband have a daughter, a son, and two dogs. Strand enjoys spending time with friends and family, playing board and card games, watching and playing sports, cross stitching, camping, and traveling.