Tell us why you became a teacher

I am a special ed teacher. I’ve always loved helping people and was often told I was great with kids. I worked with adults with disabilities straight out of high school. I knew that I could be a wonderful advocate for struggling students. My patience, passion and unwavering support for my students have confirmed my choice!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I have had many incredible moments. One that sticks out to me is when I had a student who was unable to read or write independently. I worked with him for weeks, coming up with different ways to support him to reach the goal of writing his name. Ultimately leading him to be able to do it without the supports. He is still able to write his name independently to this day, 10 years later. His mom and I still talk and she has told me how much my believing in him has changed him for the better.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would treat my family to a sweet vacation as well as make improvements to our home. I have 5 children and it would be super amazing and memorable to be able to visit Japan! My eldest is getting married this year too, so the money would be incredibly helpful. We bought our house almost 4 years ago and have done a lot to make it ours. I would love to be able to redo mine and my husband’s bathroom. That is one of our last big projects!