I didn't really understand how much one person can change your life until I got to high school. My chem teacher, Mrs Wojo, was amazing. I had her twice for chem, once in honors and once in AP. She really inspired me to have confidence in myself, to be who I was. I want to pass on that feeling to my students and remind them that who they are is incredible in their own right and they should embrace it. And maybe I'll help them find their calling like Wojo helped me find mine.

I had a student my first couple years teaching whom I taught in 7th and 8th grade. He was a great kid, but had some trouble at home. Divorced parents, emotionally abusive dad, some substance abuse. He emailed me about a year after I changed schools admitting to thoughts of self harm and suicide. I gave him the suicide hotline number and sat on GMail chat with him the entire call, supporting him. He later thanked me and told me he thought of me as a second dad, one that actually cares about him.

It would probably go toward a down payment on a new car. My wife's car is on its last legs (or tires, I guess?), and we're expecting our third child in July. We have to get a new vehicle before then, and that prize money would help put our minds at ease for when baby number three gets here. Anything left over will go toward my wife's student loans. She's a veterinarian who owns and operates a small clinic, and those loans are a heavy burden on her.