A National Board Certified Teacher, Cindy Hollies teaches high school in the Montgomery County, MD public schools. As an honors physics and astronomy teacher, she encourages students to see physics everywhere in their daily lives and to appreciate our vast universe while building a strong foundation for their further scientific endeavors. Experimenting with new perspectives and teaching strategies, novel and engaging projects, and diverse learning opportunities keeps teaching fresh and exciting for Mrs. Hollies and her students. She applies similar approaches when teaching a select group of high school girls at the University of Maryland in their Summer Girls program. Designed to entice girls into majoring in physics, the program melds modern physics topics and current physics research with the aid of the UMD staff. Earlier in her career, Mrs. Hollies performed radiation research for the military, and cancer and HIV research at a private lab. She finds teaching the most challenging and rewarding of the positions she has held.