Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because I was in kindergarten and couldn’t read yet. My grandmother’s 1st grade students taught me to read from one of their school books. From then on, I wanted to be a teacher so I could give back the gift of reading like they gave me. I still have the book to this day.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable teaching moment is when I kept working with one of my students in 1st grade in reading. They came from a bilingual class, but could speak English pretty well. Every day, I worked on letters and sounds. Once he learned the sounds, we began blending. He finally read a book to me.

What would you do with the $25,000?

If I received $25,000, I would use it to go towards buying my family and I our forever home. We have been renting since I have been 18. It’s time to buy that home where my family and I can call it our own.