“I’m a terrible role model!” HCP chemistry teacher Alex Stroukoff said with a laugh.

The Stillwater native began college hoping to become a nurse, but “crashed and burned” during her freshman year. “I didn’t really know how to be an adult,” she said. Instead of waiting another year to try again, she pursued chemistry.

Her interest in the subject began in high school with the misunderstood Mr. Schroeder. “He had all these pictures of these senior girls and we thought he was just this pervy old man. Then I realized students were giving him these photos because people cared about him enough that they wanted him to remember them,” Stroukoff said.

“[I] never thought he was a different person in school than he was outside of school.” Stroukoff’s enjoyment of math and chemistry comes from a logical place.  “Math will never do you wrong if you know what you’re looking at. Chemistry is the same way,” she said.

She researched schools in Oklahoma City, interested in education and education politics after earning her master’s in educational administration.

“Harding Charter Prep popped up and I applied thinking Harding would never want this country teacher. I thought that Harding was not in my league.”

The staff has been very welcoming, “almost to the point where I feel like Dr. Miller is going behind their backs and saying, ‘Are you being nice to the new people? You need to be nicer.'”

The staff has become a bit paranoid after past events within the science department. While talking about visiting friends over the weekend, Stroukoff jokingly said, “We’ll just see if I come back.’ Then Mr. Stefanick said, ‘No! You’re coming back!'”

In her spare time, Stroukoff is a group fitness instructor working toward yoga and scuba certification. “This is the only life I have, how do I want to live it?” she said of her active lifestyle.

Stoukoff is grateful to the HCP family. “I just want people to know, no matter the look on my face in the moment, I’m always excited to be here. I want to create the kind of place where people can want to learn. I’m proud to be at a place where it seems the entire mission of the school is the same thing.”