Tell us why you became a teacher

Growing up, my family fostered children. Seeing kids my age coming from homes that were so vastly different than mine really sparked my interest in supporting people in need; working with people different than myself. Through working with children as I got older in babysitting, summer camps, volunteering, I realized my passion was so much more than that. My passion was to understand others with differences in order to support their progress.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I teach students with autism. I have struggles and wins with my students daily- even hourly. One student started in my class that could not yet sit in a chair, climbed on counters, bit himself and others. Day after day, my team and I worked on having him request a break when he was frustrated; leading him to the door to press the "break" button all day. It took months, but the first day that he was frustrated and hit that "break" button on his own was one of the proudest moments of my career.

What would you do with the $25,000?

Though it's typical, I quite literally would spend some on my classroom. When my Amazon list grows in the fall, things can get tough. Secondly, not as fun, I would pay off some of my student loans that got me here in the first place. Most importantly, I would take my husband and three children somewhere to be able to enjoy each other. Working long hours, bringing work home, we could use some quality family time to build special memories, just like I do in my classroom with my students each day.