Chemistry is often deemed as one of the hardest classes on a college campus. However, chemistry is an important class, and even though you may think you’re not a science person, you can still absolutely pass Intro to Chemistry!

Virginia Johnson, or Ginny, a full time Chemistry Professor at College of Sequoia fully believes that any student can learn the material and pass chemistry, as long as they believe in their ability to grow. Ginny states, “Any time you label yourself you put yourself in a box and then you realize that the box is only imaginary”

Growing up, Ginny never thought of herself as a particularly academic person. Her goal was to attend a community college and get an associates degree in Business. After a couple years at Sierra College, she realized she enjoyed studying and helping others after becoming a tutor. She found that many students struggled with chemistry, and that in some cases, they would stop chasing their academic dreams because they would have to take a chemistry class. Ginny found her calling and transferred to UC Davis and earned a bachelor’s degree in physical science and a PhD in Computational Theoretical Chemistry.

Through Ginny’s personal experience of redefining herself and choosing what she wanted to practice, she hopes to convince new students that they can do the same. As a teacher, she focuses on what works for her students and what doesn’t work during her lectures. She uses her energetic personality to help simplify complex topics and to keep her students motivated to learn throughout her lectures.

Ginny states that “Chemistry takes a lot of time and practice, but so does anything else and it’s an important class because it helps us understand our world a little better.”