Karen Ong
TEACHERS THAT SHAPED MY LIFE
Karen Ong is a Forest Lake Academy (FLA) alum and was a part of the class of 2002. After attending FLA, she moved onto Pacific Union College (PUC) in California, where she pursued a career in science and medicine. She would later specialize in aerospace and preventive medicine, and she currently works in the commercial space industry.
“I chose to be a biochemistry major based partially on my enjoyment of chemistry at FLA and the excellence of the PUC chemistry department. Because I finished my major one year early, due to dual enrollment classes at FLA, I ended up taking aviation classes at Pacific Union College,” says Ong. This was pivotal in Ong’s career, sparking her interest in aviation and ultimately inspiring her to choose aerospace medicine as a specialty. But Ong’s interest in space cannot be fully credited to PUC’s aviation program; much of it began years earlier in Mr. Steve Hopkins’ science classroom at Forest Lake Academy and with science teachers at Forest Lake Educational Center such as Mr. Orndorff and Ms. Inman.
Even in high school, Ong had a passion for science. She took chemistry, astronomy, and AP physics. All three of these courses were taught by Steve Hopkins, a former teacher in the science department at Forest Lake Academy.
“He was incredibly passionate about science and chemistry. He encouraged not only curiosity about the world, but relating science to our life, our community, and God. He was someone who cared a lot about us as students,” continued Ong. “Because of the excellent foundation in chemistry and AP physics at FLA, I was able to do well in my college classes at Pacific Union College. That scientific foundation is a large part of why I am a physician-scientist today.” Because of her former teacher’s passion and how he shared it with his students, Ong frequently thinks of him when using concepts from astronomy or chemistry. She also feels that she owes some of her success to her time in his classroom all those years ago.
“I feel that much of my enthusiasm for science and ability to excel in it are because of what I learned from Mr. Hopkins and many others, which gave me a solid foundation to do well in college science classes.”
Sadly, Mr. Hopkins retired from teaching and ultimately passed away several years ago after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. This made Ong feel especially proud that as part of her job, she was able to assist in sending the second person to space with Parkinson’s disease.
“I thought Mr. Hopkins would have gotten such a kick out of it, and I wish I could have invited him to be there,” Ong said.
“Every time I look up at the sky, I know what the constellations are because of Mr. Hopkins. His interest in teaching all about the planets, stars, and astronomy are part of the reason I am currently in the aerospace industry today. I am just utterly grateful for all the teachers that cared so much and were so enthusiastic.”
