Toni Austin Watt, the winner of the 2004 James Bryant Conant Award in High School Chemistry Teaching says that she was always an average student and had to invest more time in improving her skills and getting experiences, thus she is exhilarated that her efforts have received such acclaim and is honored that people thought her efforts were notable. She attributes her success to her mother who instilled compassion and patience in her, her father who taught her to love science and her mentors who provided advice about research and made the research facilities available.