Though Dr. Santos doesn’t work in veterinary medicine, as a professor of organic chemistry and physical chemistry, she knows all about self doubt. Dr. Santos has a PhD in Computational and Theoretical Chemistry, and started teaching at Virginia Tech in the fall of 2024. I thought to include her in this project since Organic Chemistry II is notoriously among the most difficult classes you can take. Dr. Santos explained that Organic Chemistry is uniquely challenging because of the sheer volume of content within the course, which forces students to change their study habits. In turn, students who can succeed in Organic Chemistry become better learners. 

 

Dr. Santos has been my Organic Chemistry II professor… twice. The first time I attempted to take Organic Chemistry II was asynchronously during the summer of 2024, among several other courses. I was in Blacksburg and living alone. I had cut my own bangs (poorly) and taken in a cat I found on Craigslist that was being rehomed. Needless to say, I spent the summer reveling in the solace of myself. Not learning reactions and mechanisms. 

 

Why would I study ochem when I could go for a walk outside? 

 

The second time I took Orgo II was with Dr. Santos during the fall of 2024. I enjoyed her teaching style, and felt ready to work and learn the material. Although this time, I struggled. My cat, Gia, had to get an emergency surgery just two weeks into the semester. I missed a week of school while she recovered. Less than a month later, she had fleas. Among the regular chaos of my life, these circumstances completely hindered my ability to focus on school. 

 

I got a 40 on the first exam. I hadn’t really studied. I met with Dr. Santos. She told me I could still do well and that it was only the first test. She told me that people have different strengths, and not to worry. She told me that I can always ask for help, and that she believed in me. Even though I didn’t believe in myself, I could tell she was passionate about her work and I got the sense that she wasn’t lying when she said she believed in me. Anyone can see from the way she teaches that she truly cares about her students and wants nothing more than to see us succeed. 

 

I got an F in the course that semester. 

 

At the beginning of the spring 2025 semester, I met with Dr. Santos to review the final I had failed just weeks before. She pulled up my test. I stared blankly at the first question on aromatics. I started crying, ashamed at myself for disappointing someone I highly respected. After coming to an unspoken understanding that I had little to no recollection of any of the material that came before, Dr. Santos suggested that we don’t look at my final. Instead, she suggested we go back to the basics. I learned about molecular orbitals that day. I cried the whole time. Not out of shame, but out of relief. I could physically feel the weight of my fear lift off of my shoulders. I finally had a space where I felt comfortable enough to let myself try. 

 

Now, it is my last semester at Virginia Tech and I have figured out how to study organic chemistry. Three of my teammates from the rowing team—Cooper, Ella, and Madeleine—are taking ochem II with me, which has motivated me to go to class and form a study group with them. They’ve seen my ability to create magic on the water, which made me determined to prove to myself that I could have similar success with ochem. I regularly attend office hours. I regularly meet with Dr. Santos. I got an 80 on the first exam. I’ll never forget the moment I had with Dr. Santos just before exam grades were posted when she told me I did pretty darn well and that she was proud of me. She told me that I should feel proud of myself too. I cried at that too. 

 

When interviewing Dr. Santos for this project, I learned more about her own background and struggles with self doubt. Her background is not in organic chemistry, but in computational chemistry. Growing up, math was her passion. It’s logical, formulaic, and predictable. After having a great high school chemistry teacher, Dr. Santos found a new passion for applying math to chemistry, and realized she could make more of a difference in the real world by pursuing chemistry than math. 

 

Dr. Santos told me that she believes that passion is contagious. Initially, she was hesitant to take on teaching Organic Chemistry II, since she recalled not enjoying the subject herself during undergrad. However, she found ways to relate to the content that she does enjoy, which helped her gain a further appreciation for the subject itself which she directly translates into her teaching. 

 

I asked Dr. Santos if she ever doubts herself. 

 

“All the time,” she said. 

 

Dr. Santos admitted that she doesn’t have the breadth of knowledge or experience as an organic chemist in the same way other faculty in the chemistry department do. Despite this, she recognizes that she has her own strengths, and she tries her best to use her unique perspective to make learning organic chemistry more approachable for her students. After struggling and retaking chem courses throughout my academic career at Tech, I’ve been taught by just about everyone in the chemistry department. Dr. Santos has a rare gift—not just for seeing potential in her students, but for helping them to see it in themselves.