Lawrence's Rebecca Isseroff named a 2022 Harvard Club distinguished teacher

The Harvard Club of Long Island named Longtime Lawrence High School chemistry teacher Rebecca Isseroff a Distinguished Teacher of 2022.

“This award honors middle and high school teachers who have profoundly influenced their students’ lives,” Dr. Judith Esterquest, chair of the Distinguished Teacher Selection Committee, said in a news release. “Dedicated teachers like Mrs. Isseroff inspire Long Island students to excel, to become passionate about learning, and to recognize the value of hard work. These teachers devote countless hours to creating better futures for our children.”

Teaching for nearly 30 years, including the past 18 years at Lawrence High, Isseroff is known for guiding students with high-level science research projects over the years for the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search, Siemens and Regeneron competitions, the professional Materials Research Society, as well as the renowned Stony Brook Garcia Research Center.

“I feel deeply honored to be named as a Distinguished Teacher, but frankly, there are so many teachers in our schools who also deserve this honor, especially while continuing to teach during these past two years under extremely adverse conditions due to Covid,” Isseroff wrote in an email. “And so, I’d like to share and spread this recognition and honor to all the teachers on Long Island who have endured and kept up their enthusiasm of disseminating knowledge to our students. Kudos to all of you!

She began teaching in 1994 and has taught at Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls in Hewlett Bay Park and Rambam Mesivta High School in Lawrence. Isseroff has also mentored science students at the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway High.

“Mrs. Isseroff is a bright spot in the field of education,” Lawrence Superintendent Dr. Ann Pedersen said in the release. “She not only educates, but she also inspires. Her impact on the learners under her care sets them up for future successes.” 

Isseroff earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Brooklyn College and earned her master’s in secondary education for chemistry at night and on weekends from Adelphi University. 

Working with her students she has co-authored and published more than 20 research papers in professional peer-reviewed journals and shares four patents with students. Isseroff is also listed in the Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, is in the National Academy of Inventors, the Long Island Technology Hall of Fame, was named a New York State Woman of Distinction and won the Nichols Foundation Award.

“Mrs. Isseroff’s selflessness and diligence reveal that it is teachers like her who make major differences in student’s lives, distinctly my life,” Daniela Andrade, a 2021 Lawrence High graduate said in the release. “Her dedication was inspiring and motivating, and I credit major aspects of my success to her,” adding that Isseroff’s “commitment to her student’s success was remarkable and significant.” Andrade is expected to graduate from Harvard College in 2025.

Isseroff will be honored at a virtual awards ceremony on April 2, along with seven other teachers from across Long Island. Delivering the keynote will be Harvard Professor of Psychology Fiery Cushman, who studies how people make moral decisions.

The Harvard Club of Long Island will announce the Distinguished Teacher of 2022 who will also receive a scholarship for a Harvard experience at the Harvard University campus in Cambridge. The scholarships are funded by contributions from Harvard alumni living on Long Island.

Award winners were nominated by current Harvard undergraduates and selected by Harvard Club of Long Island board members. They teach a variety of subjects. The winners also teach in the Copiague, Freeport, Port Jefferson, Syosset, and Three Villages school districts and St. Mary’s Elementary School in Manhasset.