When Korey McCormick tells people that she has literally been paid to watch paint dry, she is met with laughter and disbelief. Korey, in her first year teaching at Meridian, is a scientist at heart, and her journey has created powerful connections for students who now benefit from her wide-ranging experience.

Originally from Chicago, Korey earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Chicago State University and quickly found herself immersed in industrial science. She began as a formulation chemist for Sherwin Williams, developing clear coats for cars. There, she tested durability, application times, and resistance to chipping—sometimes by literally throwing rocks at painted panels. When Sherwin Williams relocated to Ohio, Korey chose to remain in Illinois as a young mother, turning instead to research science.

She joined Medichem Research, later known as Decode Genetics, where she contributed to drug discovery projects for pharmaceutical companies. Her team built compound libraries for clients like AstraZeneca, helping them identify promising candidates for blood pressure regulation and other treatments. “We would present thousands of compounds, and they would choose which to develop further,” Korey explained. The work was cutting-edge, but when the company moved operations to Iceland, she again stayed rooted in Chicago.

That decision led her to Alberto Culver, where she worked on consumer products like Tresemmé shampoo, TCB hair products, and St. Ives lotion. It was a far cry from automotive coatings and pharmaceuticals, but Korey thrived in the challenge of adapting chemistry to everyday products. Samples came with the job, but the deeper reward was the knowledge that her work reached people in their daily lives.

In 2007, her path shifted dramatically. Korey accepted a position as a forensic scientist with the Illinois State Police, relocating to Carbondale as a latent fingerprint examiner. At the state police lab, she processed evidence, compared prints, and testified in court when needed. Her son, then nine years old, moved with her to Southern Illinois, where they put down roots. But when the Carbondale lab eventually closed, Korey faced another turning point.

She returned to school at Southern Illinois University, earning a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction with a focus in biology. Along the way, she worked in a campus computer lab, gaining experience in education while pursuing her teaching license. In 2014, Korey began teaching with the Upward Bound program, a federally funded initiative that supports high school students who are often the first in their families to attend college. For two Saturdays each month during the school year, and for six weeks every summer, she guided students through enrichment courses and helped them build the confidence to succeed.

Her impact in Upward Bound was profound. She recalls one student who arrived frightened and uncertain, convinced she couldn’t succeed. “By the end, she was my top student,” Korey said. “I told her she could do it, and she was determined. That’s what I want most for them—keep trying.” Over 11 years, she helped dozens of students, including some who now sit in her Meridian classroom, bridging her work in outreach with her new role in junior high science.

In 2019, Korey entered the public school classroom full-time at Carbondale Middle School, where she taught eighth-grade science. After four years there and a brief pause to care for her mother, she found her way to Meridian, where she now teaches across three grade levels. The drive from Carbondale each day gives her time to reflect, but once she arrives, the pace is brisk, the curiosity boundless, and the challenge both humbling and rewarding.

Korey’s science background infuses every lesson. She insists that science is more than reading a textbook—it is a process of questioning, testing, and rethinking. To illustrate, she gives students puzzles like arranging four or five shapes into a square, pushing them to experience the frustration and breakthroughs of real scientific inquiry. “Thinking is hard,” she tells them. “But that’s what science is. Asking questions, making mistakes, and coming back with new ideas.”

Her goal for this year is simple but ambitious: to teach her students to think. She knows that today’s kids often struggle with persistence and attention, but she is determined to build resilience and critical thinking. “I’m going to make little scientists out of them,” she says with conviction. For Korey, teaching is not about perfection but about creating a safe space where students can be wrong, learn from mistakes, and discover their own capacity to solve problems.