Tell us why you became a teacher

At first I wanted to be a teacher, because I knew I wanted to be a mom. And I knew that having the time off with my own children would be beneficial to my family. But once I became a teacher, I realized that my passion is making students feel loved, respected, and want to be at school.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

The relationships that I have built with my students is what I treasure the most. I love walking down the halls, being on the playground at yard duty, and having all of my previous students run up to me and hug me and tell me how much they miss me. It's the best feeling.

What would you do with the $25,000?

$25,000 is life-changing for me. My daughter is in college and we want to set her up for success without a lot of debt. We would use the money to help pay for her tuition so that she can focus on her academics. I graduated college with a significant amount of debt. It put a lot of stress and pressure on me and prevented me from saving money to buy a house. I would love to be able to help my daughter.