Tell us why you became a teacher

I always knew that I would be a teacher. It was all I ever dreamt for myself since I was 10 years old. I always loved babysitting and working with kids and knew I wanted to pursue teaching. When I was in middle school, I was bullied so I wanted to become a teacher to help create a safe space for all students in my classroom, especially the marginalized. In high school, I fell in love with science and knew that I wanted to become a science teacher because I would tutor my peers.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

In my 2nd year of teaching (2015), I wrote and received a grant to build a STEM lab at my school. I was able to lead the whole process and ask for several donations from community members to get the classroom up and running with the coolest STEM equipment. So many of my students went from thinking so-so on science to loving science and wanting to become an engineer after they got to learn in the new STEM lab. It feels amazing to be able to inspire young men AND women!

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would love to be able to put a down payment on a house with the $25,000. As you know, teachers do not get paid very well and I would love to buy a house and grow my family. Thank you for this great opportunity.