Leah Jonaitis

Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because I can see the importance of reaching the youth to enact change for their futures. Education pushes us to become critical thinkers and participate in community, and I get so much fulfillment from helping my students see that they are the government, they are the future and they can do everything. I was first inspired to teach in elementary school when I fell in love with studying history with Mrs. Wills - I wanted to be that inspiration to my own students one day.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I run youth and government at my school, and my most memorable moment actually came this year when one of my members beat out larger delegations to become our regional candidate for youth Secretary of State- nothing can capture the pride of seeing your students achieve their goals because they saw your passion and grew it into something of their own. I also fondly remember an observation in which one of my students believed that WWII was caused by an attack on Bill Harper, not Pearl Harbor 😂

What would you do with the $25,000?

I am a single mother, and I would love to use the money to get out of debt and put a down payment on a home for myself and my two daughters, Aria and Olivia.