2019 Winner
Purnima Cheruvu
Cleveland School of the Arts
10–11th Grade Chemistry
“Purnima is a dedicated and nurturing educator. It is clear that she develops great relationships with her scholars and encourages them to appreciate the world around them, even beyond her content area... I am constantly amazed by her desire to be the best.”
Purnima Jaiswal Cheruvu currently teaches chemistry at Cleveland School of the Arts. She earned a Doctorate of Life Sciences from Jawaharlal Nehru University and Master of Biochemistry from GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in India. In 2006, she joined Case Western Reserve University to pursue research on yeast zygote formation and Huntington’s disease. Her passion towards teaching led her to obtain licensure in high school teaching in 2013. Purnima thoroughly enjoys engaging young people in matters of science and believes that every student has a potential to learn and become successful despite their trying circumstances and limited resources. She partners with organizations and universities to provide real world experiential learning for her students. Purnima considers herself a life-long learner and aspires to help her students learn higher level science to become successful in college.