I became a teacher because I wanted to be a fair and balanced teacher. My 4th grade teacher also inspired me to become a teacher and I have been teaching for almost 30 years now. I have loved every moment of it and have seen my students grow and become professionals. I now have some of their children as students. I want to give my students a fair and equitable education, and an opportunity to be their cheerleader.

I have to say that I have had many memorable moments, but two that I can think of is having three former students now become my colleagues on my campus. I also have other former students become language teachers just like me. I am so happy that I was able to inspire them just like my fourth-grade teacher did for me.

If I were to win, I would honestly use that money to pay off a loan, share some with my sons, take a small trip with my mother, and increase my donation to my one of my charities.