Tell us why you became a teacher

Teaching is a job of passion and compassion. When I was young, I always had an instinctual desire to help others, then, I had Mrs. Klawans in first grade. She showed me such kindness and love during a time when I needed it most. She would read us Shel Silverstein’s Giving Tree and its message of sharing, unconditionally, resonated deeply with me as a 6 year old. Though this was the spark that lit the flame for teaching, it was my art teacher, Mr. Drake, that ignited my passion for art.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

13 years of teaching K-12 art have provided more memorable moments than I can count. My students and I get to grow together, learn together, and create together and it is truly the greatest honor. A notable moment: Once, a former student who struggled a bit with identity in high school, returned to proudly share his passion as a leader of a local organization. After he left, I found a post-it note he discretely left that simply read "You changed my life."

What would you do with the $25,000?

As a family of two public school teachers, 25K would be absolutely life-changing. It is hard to fathom having this kind of extra income, especially as we navigate the expenses of child-care and our continued education. We would certainly use the funds to support our young son’s future education. He wants to be an artist/librarian/Spiderman. I would also love to give back to the community that has allowed me to educate their children by helping establish more community fine-arts programming.