Alan Stuckey graduated with a degree in Horticulture from Purdue University. He has a passion for entomology and has been a beekeeper his whole life. After working for the past 23 years in the construction industry, Stuckey wanted to make a difference in the lives of young people through mentoring and teaching and was selected to be part of the 2009 Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellows. At present he teaches middle school science at The Oaks Academy in Indianapolis, IN.

"I think nature is a great way to interest kids in science because it's awesome. I can't even look at the world around me and not think it is the most incredible thing I can speak about."

Keith Manring worked as an editor for a major market newspaper for 15 years before being selected as a 2009 Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellow. He wrote numerous articles about educational reforms, student achievement, and school accountability but felt as though he wanted to do something more to help students. A 1985 graduate of Oregon State University, Manring had taught middle school English, but it was his service as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps that gave him valuable training and on the job insights into science and biology. Manring is teaching biology at Lawrence Central High School.

"I've had the chance to actually use applied science in the Marines. That experience really opened up my eyes to how the really abstract things, that I had been turned off by in classrooms in high school and college, had really cool and interesting applications in the real world."

Ashely Westra is a Dean's Scholar and a National Honor Society Student who graduated at the top of her class from the University of Indianapolis in 2009. She was inspired to teach after working as a teacher and lab assistant. A biology major, she was selected to one of the 2009 Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellows.

"To be able to analyze a situation and come up with a solution those are valuable skills in any field or any career. It's what employees are looking for, and what colleges are looking for. It just leads to success in life if you have the skills."

Tim Devlin is a 2007 graduate of IUPUI with a degree in Media Arts and Science. After graduation, Tim spent a year traveling throughout the United States before returning to Indianapolis. Tim is an accomplished skateboarder who was inspired to teach by the young people he met at skate parks, many of whom had become turned off to school. This Dean’s List student and Eagle Scout set out to do something about the disconnect with school he saw in kids and was named a 2009 Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellow. Tim now teaches Lynhurst Jr. High School.

"It's hard for kids to understand it. I think some kids are like, "oh, physics or chemistry or geometry, oh no!" If you're going into those fields you need those classes. I don't think kids need to be scared of science, they just need a teacher who can relate it to them and they'll understand."

Sue Reagan spent 21 years working in the automotive industry with a wide range of experiences from industrial engineering and manufacturing to sales and finance. Sue graduated in 1987 from Purdue University with a degree in Engineering and she received her MBA from Ball State University. Sue was recognized many times by her company for excellence and initiative. In 2009, she made a difficult decision to quit her job to become a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. This mother of three and youth soccer coach wants her students to understand how math is relevant to their lives, and she wants to inspire them toward excellence and scholarship in a competitive economy.

"I had a student the other day he hates this. He says math should be outlawed. I tell him-‘give your cell phone, your cell phone will not work anymore without math. Give me your car. Your car is not going to work anymore without math. Computers are not going to work. Nothing works without math!"

Tim Jacobs is a math and computer whiz kid. A 2009 Purdue University graduate, with majors in Computer Science and Mathematics, Tim had extensive experiences in web and software development. He is a member of the National and Purdue Associations for Computing Machinery, an Indiana Resident Top Scholar Award winner. He could have had his choice of plum industry jobs, but decided to pursue his passion for teaching. It was this passion that led him to be chosen as a 2009 Woodrow Wilson Fellow.

"Advanced math teachers are at a shortage. This is a young man, when you talk about student teachers, may be one out of ten who is going to be able to, content wise, master the topics. That’s the big thing. He will be able to teach at whatever level. We could move him down the hall and he could teach probability and statistics I have no doubt about it."
    - Tim’s Mentor-Northwest High School

David Johnson is a 1997 graduate of Delaware State University where he majored in Business Administration and received a Japanese language certification. After graduation David began a career in finance and later human resources, but was inspired to teach. David started an after school tutoring program, TOYS (Tutoring Our Youth for Success) at his church to help urban students. He left business to work as a teacher’s assistant in an urban school before being named a 2009 Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellow. At present, David teaches math at Lynhurst Jr. High School.

"Teaching isn't as easy as someone outside of the teachings field would think. You really start to appreciate what a truly good teacher is when you know all the work, all the preparation and the strategies, being able to quickly identify problems and adjust the lesson plans on the fly. It’s quite an experience to witness an educator who can do that seamlessly and make it look so easy."