I became a teacher because of the teachers who shaped my life. I remember the one who helped me navigate big emotions during my parents’ divorce and the one who made me believe I could be a first-generation college graduate. Their impact inspired me to become a teacher, so I could make a difference in another student’s life, just as they did for me.

My most memorable teaching experience comes from my first year of teaching. One moment that stands out was when I saw the lightbulb go off for one of my kindergarten students as he read his first book. He was often labeled a “difficult” student, but that moment taught me the importance of teaching to the child, not the test. The joy in his eyes as he realized his accomplishment is something I’ll carry with me forever.

I wish I could say I’d use this money for my classroom, as we all pour plenty of our own resources into our students. However, after requiring fertility treatments because of myself and, more recently, supporting my husband through his diagnosis and remission from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, this money would go toward something deeply personal—our IVF treatments. I will always pour my heart into nurturing and teaching other people’s children, but this would give me the chance to fulfill my dream.