Kids often run and hide at the sound of thunder, but Coppell High School physics teacher Kayla Limer has always been fond of chasing storms.

As a young child, she devoured books about tornadoes, tuned in to every weather report and binge-watched the Discovery Channel. As she matured, Limer enjoyed chasing storms with her father, Scott Limer, in awe of the weather phenomena. Her journey through different careers includes almost as many twists as the unpredictable weather that characterizes Texas.

Still, she always comes back to her passion for explaining the world around her through science.

“You can go for a hike in the mountains and everything you see can be explained by geology,” Limer said. “Geology explains why that rock is exactly where it is. Eventually, it eroded and the trees in the area died, making the soil looser, so it fell.”

Limer’s passion for science pushed her to study meteorology at Mississippi State University. After graduating, she worked as a weekend meteorologist for ABC WTVA in Tupelo, Miss.. However, when she found her spot in front of the camera, she felt conflicted by the way the media exaggerated certain events.

“Television looks for views, so you’re really making a lot out of a little,” Limer said. “I struggled with the hyping of different weather events because it did a disservice to the public of what’s actually going to happen.”

Disillusioned by the TV industry, Limer transitioned her career focus into teaching, where she rediscovered a true sense of fulfillment through sharing her love of science. Ten years later, her enthusiasm remains infectious in her teaching style.

“She has a lot of energy,” junior Melia Silvey said. “Even two periods into the day, she doesn’t act like she’s tired; she still has that morning energy. Some days, you’re not feeling it but you come to her class and forget everything else, because she brightens your mood.”

Another perk with teaching is extended vacations. Long summer breaks allow Limer to explore cultures around the world with her close friend of 15 years, April Allivand. While Limer’s previous jobs stifled her creativity, teaching allowed her to fully express her sense of adventure.

“Kayla is the most spontaneous person I know,” Allivand said. “When she decides she wants to do something, she just does it without looking back. When we travel together, she’s always up for trying something new. I admire how she embraces life without hesitation or regret.”

Nonetheless, Limer didn’t initially stick with teaching. Societal norms of climbing a corporate ladder to success and expectations from her parents remained a heavy weight on her. Accordingly, her career transitioned into accounting for a more traditional corporate job but found difficulty in matching the satisfaction of the classroom.

“It was Aug. 1, and I remember thinking ‘I can’t do this anymore,’” Limer said. “‘I can’t do this job. School is starting and I wish I was at school.’”

While her stable accounting job provided her with a fair income, she still had a calling to understand the scientific mysteries of the world. Limer could not continue to sit still at her office desk, so she left the corporate sphere.

“It took me 10 years to get over the concept of, ‘Should I go and be more?” Limer said.  “Teaching is respected but it’s not necessarily what people think of as a ‘successful’ career. But, it took me 10 years to say, ‘No, this is what I will be’.”

Leaving her job, a sense of adventure emboldened Limer, and she decided to try something new: van life in Jackson, Miss. Despite having limited knowledge of power tools, she built, maintained and lived in her own van, made from an old, large car and a metal grinder.

“I probably built that van twice,” Limer said. “You try, you fail and you learn. I like to think that I’m a lifelong learner which is why I want to make my students learn everything.”

Limer quickly realized that van life was not going to be a permanent option for her, so she opted to move back to Texas, where she settled back into the job she had always loved: teaching.

Limer’s journey was a long winding road, filled with different stops in storm-chasing, meteorology, accounting and traveling, but she feels lucky to have had such diverse experiences that shaped who she is and where she is today.

“I believe everything you’ve done makes you who you are, and I’m proud of who I am,” Limer said. “I have a life that I love, a job that I love, people I love to see everyday, and I couldn’t be happier.”

This story was originally published on Coppell Student Media on September 30, 2024.