2017 Incoming Grad Series: Krista Lucas

The 2017 Incoming Grad Series continues, featuring backstories and fun facts on 8 students who are part of our largest and most diverse incoming class in recent memory.

Krista is excited to come back to academia after an almost 10-year break. She is an incoming Ph.D. in Education, focusing specifically on science education. She has been teaching undergraduate Biology for the past three years and hopes to learn more about how to best teach this specific age-group of students.

Read on to learn more about ​Krista's research interests and her favorite things to do with her two kids.

	THE STORY Krista grew up in northern California along with her brother. She has a Bachelors degree in Biology from Occidental College and a Master's in teaching from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has been married for 17 years and has two kids, ages 11 and almost 9. She is looking forward to being part of the UCSB community, despite the daily commute from their home in Agoura Hills!
	WHY UCSB "As a former high school teacher, I was drawn in by the program in science education, which has been close to my heart for many years," Krista said. ​She is very excited to continue her education after being away from academia for almost a decade. She is looking forward to making connections in her field and bonding with others that share her similar interests.
	RESEARCH INTERESTS Krista is interested in teaching and learning science at the undergraduate level, especially to non-science majors. She became interested in this because she has been teaching a biology course at Pepperdine University for three years to undergraduates, and she wanted to learn more about how to best teach this specific age-group of students.
	FUN FACTS Her favorite things to do include watching basketball games and going to Disneyland with her family. She also loves photography and often does shoots with clients in town. She enjoys hiking and traveling and fondly remembers the year that her family lived in Heidelberg, Germany.

Welcome, ​Krista!

Be sure to subscribe to the GradPost and check back each day until the start of classes for the continuation of our Incoming Grad Series. Last but not least is João Gabriel Rabello Sodré, an incoming student in Global Studies from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.