A Los Angeles native, Jennifer Morales grew up playing a myriad of sports, some of which took her to and through college - including playing ice hockey at Arizona State University (ASU). After a semester as a Journalism major, she returned to her athlete roots and earned a B.S. in Exercise Science and Physical Education with a concentration in Exercise Wellness. After graduating and not knowing exactly what path to take next, a good friend, teammate and fellow educator encouraged her to become a science educator. She returned to ASU and earned her Master’s in Education and teaching certificate. She spent 15 years in the world of education, the majority at Chandler High School, a campus and community that she adores.

From 2017-2020, Jennifer got to be her son’s first teacher, staying home with him for the first three years of his life. Later, she assisted Dr. Sian Proctor in managing her personal and professional platforms as she prepared and trained to go to space on the Inspiration4 Mission that launched in September 2021. More recently, she merged her passion for education with her desire to impact the Phoenix community, serving as the Teacher Recognition Coordinator for the Million Dollar Teacher Project, a local nonprofit aimed at elevating the teaching profession through increased recognition, support and compensation. Jennifer is excited and proud to be a Program Coordinator with NIET, leveraging her knowledge of and experience within the education world to help make huge strides for teaching excellence and student achievement. She and her husband enjoy traveling and road trips to fun, out-of-the-way spots to go hiking, camping, kayaking and exploring with our son, Anthony, and dog, Tangles.