Teara Gross’ career in education began when she was in college at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. She got a job teaching coding and robotics to students ages 4-17 and this experience began her love and passion for teaching. More specifically, making technology education accessible, practical, and engaging for all learners. Ms. Gross completed her Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity. After college, she began working in corporate doing Cybersecurity, primarily focusing protecting companies from cyber attacks, while also training and educating employees on the importance of being safe and secure online. Though she wasn’t physically in the classroom in a tradition sense, she still was able to educate and train her colleagues.
In 2024, Ms. Gross began teaching for Hopewell City Public Schools. She taught Information Technology, Cybersecurity, and College Readiness/Business Literacy classes to high school students. The following school year, she began providing professional development training for teachers and staff on instructional technology and artificial intelligence, showing them how to integrate these tools into their classrooms effectively, ethically, and safely. Ms. Gross obtained her Masters in Business Administration and a Cybersecurity Graduate Certificate from University of Texas at Tyler in 2025. She had the opportunity to lead a session called “The Human Firewall” at the SURN Leadership Conference at the College of William and Mary in June 2026 and plans to speak at more conference in the near future.
She has a deep passion for continuous learning and sharing her insights and findings with others. She believes that we are lifelong students and should never stop learning, growing, and striving to improve. In her free time, Ms. Gross enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, knitting, trying new restaurants, DJ’ing, and spending quality time with friends and family.
