JACKELYN LÓPEZ ROSHWALB
MATHEMATICS TEACHER
Bullis School
Potomac, Maryland

Jackelyn Lopez Roshwalb didn’t always know she was meant to be a teacher.  She loved applying math, so initially she pursued engineering.  Jackelyn enjoyed her engineering courses and internships, yet she was drawn to teaching.  She co-taught an honors seminar, tutored, and became a teaching fellow for an introductory engineering design course.  “I was missing something in my engineering internships; I didn’t feel like I was impacting many people.”  Jackelyn expects one of the most challenging aspects of teaching to be reaching students with a wide mix of interests and abilities.  “Teachers are responsible for all their students, and although we may not make everyone love math, we need to try our best to reach them all.”

Jackelyn has volunteered as a mentor for high school students, and leads a monthly writing club for adults with disabilities.  She has also served as a resident advisor for the Hispanic Youth Symposium, a week-long program for Hispanic high schoolers to encourage them to finish high school and go on to college. 

As an undergraduate, Jackelyn won numerous awards, including the Pi Tau Sigma Outstanding Sophomore Award and the Department of Mechanical Engineering Chairman’s Award for Academic Achievement.  She was named a Banneker Key Scholar and is a recipient of the Knust Memorial Scholarship.  Jackelyn is a graduate of Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Maryland, and holds a BS in mechanical engineering with minors in mathematics and Spanish from the University of Maryland.