I earned my BA in Psychology with plans to attend graduate school to become a therapist or school counselor. After moving to a small town, I applied for a special education para position that became available and was hired. This experience ignited my passion for teaching and my students. Consequently, I made the decision to return to school and pursue a special education teaching certificate to further enhance my skills and commitment to supporting students with diverse learning needs.

One of my most memorable teaching moments was helping a 4th grader discover a love for reading. When we began a new reading program, she was reading at a kinder level. Audio books sparked her passion for books and motivated her to improve her reading skills. I shared two recordings of her reading, which were a year apart, in her IEP meeting. Her improvement moved her mother to tears! Though she moved away, I received a grad announcement last year with her plans to attend college.

If I won $25,000, I would make my dream come true of taking my kids and grand kids to Disneyland!