Hello! My name is Veronica Romero and I’m a 7th & 8th grade Gateway teacher at Canyon Ridge Middle School (Leander ISD). I’m trained in Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Automation & Robotics (AR) and Computer Science for Innovators and Makers (CSIM). Originally, I’m from a small town called San Juan, Texas located in deep South Texas. However, Austin has been my home for the last 14 years. I obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with a Chemistry minor from the University of Texas Pan American in 2001 and a Masters degree in Biology in 2012. I completed a principalship certificate program from Lamar University in 2014. I’m currently working on a PhD in Curriculum & Instruction with a focus in STEM from Texas Tech University and anticipated to graduate Fall 2024. I have always had a passion for Science and STEM education. I devoted most of my teaching career to helping minority students at title one schools. Throughout my career in education, I have maintained many roles such as; Master Science Teacher, Science Instructional Coach, Science department head, and PLC lead. My involvement with the Nascent RET program began in 2017 in the Chemical Engineering department. I loved my experience so much that I continued as a fellow in 2018 and a mentor teacher there after. As of recently, my work in STEM includes being selected to represent a team of teachers to create Engineering Design standards for educators. The program is called TaLENt (Teacher Leaders Engineering Network) through Rice University. I continue to grow and learn new things to implement in my classroom and mentor teachers along the way! In my spare time, I like to watch movies with my family and spend time with my kids Victor 22, Kalena 10, and Karissa 9.