The Chemistry Orchard

SUMMER ORGANIC CHEM PREP COURSE - CLICK FOR VIDEO!

I first fell in love with chemistry when I was a pre-med student at Northwestern University. It was my second year of college, and I was taking organic chemistry because, you know, I “had” to. My friends had already scared me about the course. They warned me that it was a weed-out class that was impossible to get through. They told me that it was going to make me decide that I did not want to go into medicine after all. They were right about organic chemistry steering me away from medical school, but it was for the best of reasons. Despite the challenges that organic chemistry presented, I fell in love with it. I decided I wanted to study more of it, and I set my sights on graduate school instead of medical school.

After earning my PhD in organic chemistry from UCSD (University of California, San Diego) in 2001, I taught at USD (University of San Diego) until 2006. I then joined the tenure-track faculty at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for the next three years. In order to rejoin my spouse in San Diego, I made the move to Francis Parker School, a private high school, in the fall of 2009. In the decade that I spent at Francis Parker, I started an organic chemistry course for high-school juniors and seniors. During that time, I also taught occasional evening courses at MiraCosta and Miramar Colleges. I joined the Chemistry Department at Grossmont College as a full-time, tenure-track professor in the fall of 2019. As an educator with over 20 years of experience, I have taught Intro, Prep, AP, General, and Organic Chemistry. I have also earned The Mulliken Family Award for Excellence in Teaching and the San Diego Science Educators Association (SDSEA) Award.

Because I love teaching chemistry so much, I wanted to find a way to channel my creative energy when I am not busy at Grossmont. That brings us here to The Chemistry Orchard, where apples are not just for teachers! Whether in small classes or in one-on-one tutoring, all students enjoy the fruits of their labor. I nourish creativity while cultivating resilience. Although my classes and tutoring sessions are online, they are not passive experiences! With their cameras and microphones on, students engage in discussions and problem-solving sessions. Let’s work together to sow the seeds of success!

- Dr. Hima Joshi