Nick Bray studies for his remote Chemistry class in his living room with Buddy at his Treasure Island apartment on Monday, June 1, 2026, in San Francisco, California.

“I could teach art with my bachelor’s in theater, but art teachers are not as sought after as science and math teachers, and I can do science and math. I chose science, brushed up on biology, chemistry, and physics, and decided chemistry was my strongest,” said Bray. I decided to be a high school chemistry teacher. If you had asked me eight months ago, it would not have been on the radar.”

Bray’s ultimate goal with his education is to leave the United States for Australia. “They have better health care. They take care of their sick, and they educate their young,” said Bray. “We are being priced out of both. You have to be rich to pay for health care as an old person, and you have to be rich as a young person to get an education. I see those as paramount.”