Senior Instructor, Dr. Molly Neopkroeff, received a very nice recognition from a former student, graduate, and future Biology Graduate student, Tiffany Gentry:

"Dr. Swallow, 

My name is Tiffany Gentry and I am a 2021 biology major graduate. The purpose of my email is to inform you of the outstanding teaching and leadership of Dr. Molly Nepokroeff. I had the pleasure of taking two classes with Dr. Nepokroeff during my undergraduate work, and I can tell you that she has gone above and beyond the scope of her job to help me succeed. Never have I met a professor so invested in the success of their students. She has truly changed my life and encouraged me in ways I never expected from a professor. The following are some of the ways Dr. Nepokroeff has helped me over the last year.  

I met Dr. Nepokroeff for the first time last year when I took her Flora of Colorado class. Students needed plant presses for field sampling and I was unable to make it to campus during the normally scheduled collection times. Dr. Nepokroeff drove across town to personally deliver a plant press to me. She wanted to ensure I had a plant press early in the semester to get started on my plant pressing collection. Dr. Nepokroeff made class lectures available synchronously and asynchronously in both her Flora of Colorado and Plant Diversity classes. The asynchronous format helped me immensely as I work a full-time, inflexible job.  

Dr. Nepokroeff enthusiastically provided in-depth feedback within a day of me emailing her a question. (Usually responding within an hour) She often met with me outside of her office hours for project discussions. Dr. Nepokroeff knew I was interested in furthering my education in plant science and forwarded me several scholarship opportunities. Two such opportunities were the Alice Eastwood Scholarship and Fellowship program. I won both. Now I am enrolled in a graduate program starting this fall and will be a Teaching Assistant for the Biology department. My graduate program is fully funded by the Denver Botanic Gardens and I will be working with Dr. Jennifer Ackerfield and Dr. Leo Bruederle for my thesis research.   

I wanted you to know what a valuable, kind, dedicated, intelligent, and nurturing professor you have on your staff. I have had many professors, but none have offered the level of care and guidance as Dr. Nepokroeff has. She truly cares about her students and wants to see them succeed.  

Her hard work truly deserves formal recognition from her peers. She is a gem and I hope she stays on your staff for many years to come.  

Thank you for providing students access to outstanding professors like Dr. Molly Nepokroeff. 

Best regards, 
Tiffany Gentry"

Congratulations  Dr. Nepokroeff for furthering CU Denver and Integrative Biology's commitment to quality education for our students