After classes are over, students don’t usually think about their teachers, but that can be a mistake because teachers also have their own interesting stories to tell. Autumn Weber proves this as a chemistry teacher who has traveled through numerous places because of her love for horses and her adventurous spirit.

“Most of my students know that I traveled a lot,” Weber said. “But not a lot of them know how much I love horses.”

Weber became a horse-lover in her early childhood when her dad gave her a pony, she said. Since then, that love expanded and escalated into great experiences around Europe.

“My first job in Europe was in England, and I was 19 at that time,” Weber said. “I worked at a breeding farm that bred American horses.”

During the time spent in Great Britain, she also had time to visit many world-famous landmarks. “That was the best trip of my life,” Weber said.

“I’ve seen Stonehenge, been to the 60th D-Day anniversary, and spent two weeks in Ireland.”

Two years after that, in 2006, Weber moved to the Netherlands for three months.

“I wanted to live there, but I broke my arm,” Weber said. “I had to go back home and my arm healed after six months.”

Being a teacher at Rider was, as she said, an accident.

“I came to take the teacher test at MSU and since they had a problem with their computers, I had time to drive around and I really liked what I saw,” Weber said. “That night I searched for job applications, and even though there were not any, I had an interview the next day and got a job the day after.”

England and the Netherlands are not the only two countries Weber has explored.

“I visited about 20 countries in Europe and 30 US states,” Weber said. “I’ve done many horse-related jobs and I really enjoyed them.”

Being a chemistry teacher is a job that is easy to love, she said; but there are also some goals for the future that Weber wants to achieve.

“I don’t have any now, but if I were a billionaire I would definitely spend a lot of money on horses,” Weber said. “I plan to visit all continents during my lifetime and am looking forward to my next trip. I would like to have a trans-Siberian adventure next time.”

Times spent in Europe also taught Weber a valuable lesson.

“I saw that you can find nice people everywhere,” Weber said. “I’m so happy that I can say that a lot of people offered me help when I needed it during those travels. You just need to have respect for their culture.”