Science is a highly varied subject. It can be very difficult to learn and requires a large depth of understanding. Luckily, there are teachers out there that can make students’ lives that much easier. One of those teachers here at Oviedo is William James Furiosi II.

Furiosi has been teaching at Oviedo High School for twelve years, and presides over AP Research, AP Biology, and Experimental Science. Instructing them is something that he genuinely feels a calling for.

Initially, Furiosi planned on pursuing an industry career, then eventually retiring to teach as a professor.

“I ended up kind of reversing the two, [having a career and being a professor], and took my passionate interest in teaching to make my career instead,” Furiosi said.

Furiosi’s passion for scientific discovery was not incredibly fostered in his upbringing; it was something he never had much access to. 

“Neither of my parents came from a science, or even educated background,” Furiosi admitted. “I remember doing a lot of projects in middle school, or doing Science Olympiad, or even a research project in middle school. But that was it.” 

Furiosi was ‌discouraged from pursuing higher-level science classes in high school. 

“All the AP science classes were blocked…for me to take AP Biology, I would have to lose two periods of the day, and I just wanted to take more classes. So I actually took very few science classes in high school; just biology, chemistry, physics, and oceanography.”

While Furiosi also found interest in social studies, often studying biographies about historic scientists, his passion for STEM won out in the end. 

“I think it was in middle school when I really started to enjoy science, but [it was] not until college where my interest for science really started to flourish.”

After Furiosi’s time in grade-school, and eventually UCF, he began the use of that aforementioned teaching passion to begin instructing at OHS.

Furiosi was a part of a grant that encouraged more STEM students to pursue masters degrees and go into teaching after graduation.

Furiosi realized that this opportunity offered a more sound future than what he originally planned.

 “I had a big change of heart,” Furiosi said. “Grappling with me finishing top of my class at UCF… and then dealing with a lot of debt after already coming from a low-income family, made me switch from a career in medicine.”

Furiosi received a refund from the MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) and put that money into a teaching certification. 

Furiosi received offers from many Central Florida schools, like Lyman, Lake Howell, and Oviedo through the RTP program.

But when it really came down to it, Furiosi was recommended between Oviedo and Hagerty, and it was not too much for him to decide. 

“When Oviedo offered me one, I was like, I’ll take that one! It was actually Dr. Daniel who interviewed me when she was a vice principal.”

It was definitely a blessing that such a choice was made, as a prestigious accolade came along with it: Teacher of the Year! 

“It was an exceptional shock,” Furiosi called to mind. “I have so many really good peers on the elementary, middle, and high school level that to get whittled down to the final choice was very humbling!” 

Furiosi won the award as the 2021 select, which is exceptionally special, as high school teachers are seldom chosen. The banner for the accomplishment can be viewed in Furiosi’s classroom.

It is not just awards that prove Furiosi’s excellence as a teacher, but also the testimonial of their students. One student, junior Adam Ibrahim, is in Furiosi’s AP Biology course this year, and lauds Furiosi for his methods of teaching. 

“I love how he can just make the class feel awake at just 9:00 in the morning,” Ibrahim says. “He does it with all the fun stories he loves to bring up all the time.”

Ibrahim was actually motivated to take the class due to what they heard from others. 

“The classes he teaches carry my interests, like biology and experimental science for example, and I’ve talked to people who took his class and enjoyed the time they spent with him.” 

Furiosi too offers positions as classroom dividends, and one of whom (who wished to remain anonymous) commends Furiosi’s abilities as a teacher.

“He assigns a big workload, but it helps everyone understand the class better and be able to succeed, and that is shown in his pass rates,” the anonymous source mentioned.

They said that being a dividend helps with hours and experience, and they are pleased to do it for Furiosi.

Teachers can leave a lasting impact on the students that they teach, and there is always that one teacher that sticks out in one’s memory as particularly helpful or memorable.

When posed the hypothetical of how it would feel to be called out as an influence by a student who found success in the far future, he had this to say: “For someone to name drop and express that…it would be super humbling and exciting. It would be super special!”