Monika Baldridge has a passion for sharing scientific knowledge. She joined Carroll’s faculty in 2004 and believes “every student has something to contribute and learn.” When students say they “will never get this,” Baldridge does not agree. “Every student is a challenge. You just have to find out what works for each one,” she said.
Baldridge was born and raised in Hungary. At age 10, she moved with family to Wisconsin and became a U.S. citizen at age 17. Her ability to explain things and her high value for education made her want to become a teacher. She went to Franklin High School, then attended Marquette University and received her bachelor’s degree in biology and medical technology. She continued her education by obtaining her doctorate in reproductive endocrinology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Baldridge is an expert on endocrinology, the study of hormones. She is currently studying the effects of plant estrogens, such as those found in soy products, on the female reproductive system. Baldridge studies a variety of natural and man-made materials that affect female fertility. Her goal is to obtain a National Institute of Health grant so she can do further research on the topic and include more of her students.
Baldridge loves teaching her endocrinology class at Carroll. She also teaches human anatomy, physiology, gross anatomy, medical physiology and senior capstone. Baldridge is always willing to go above and beyond to help her students, whether it is in class, lab or research. She has mentored Pioneer Scholars students one-on-one on several summer research projects. Baldridge also mentors STaR scholars, excellent students who were recruited to study biology or chemistry at Carroll.
To add to her list of accomplishments, Baldridge’s expert research earned her the 2010 Benjamin F. Richason Jr. Faculty Award, the annual Carroll award for excellence in teaching, research and educational innovation.
When not at Carroll conducting endocrinology research, Monika is busy doing her other job as a mom. She lives in Hales Corners, Wis., with husband Brad and three children: Zach, 9, Alex, 7 and Isabelle, 5. Baldridge loves to cook and bake. “I always make and decorate all the specialty cakes for birthdays like Spiderman or Pokeman,” she said. Monika and Brad are also talented ballroom dancers who are known to dance the night away.
Written by Rose Rementer ’12
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