CHRISTOPHER PRIEDEMANN
CHEMISTRY TEACHER
Green Tech High Charter School
Albany, New York

Chris Priedemann grew up in a German-speaking household on Long Island, New York, and spent many of his summers in southern Germany living with relatives. He fell in love with chemistry in high school, where an outstanding team of teachers elegantly portrayed an exciting world of atoms, electrons and compounds and instilled a strong appreciation for teaching and learning.

Chris followed his fascination with chemistry to Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, where he received bachelor’s of science magna cum laude and master’s of science. While at Furman, he tutored in local high schools, working primarily with students with little to no English proficiency. As he worked with these English language learners, he drew upon his facility with languages, forged individual connections with students, and found he could truly make a difference in their lives.

While serving as secretary of the American Chemical Society’s student affiliate chapter at Furman University, Chris created a new tutoring program to encourage more students from chemistry department to get involved with the schools in their area. Within the program’s first year, thirty of his fellow students volunteered their time to serve as tutors and assistants in classrooms of local schools.

Chris comes from a long line of teachers, including two grandparents, two aunts and an uncle. His awards include Omicron Delta Kappa (National Leadership Honor Society) and the John Sampey Award in Chemistry.