Connect Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because my high school art teacher, Mr. Schwab, provided us so much inspiration even when we put him through so much trouble as teenagers. He never once quit on us and he continually showed us the value in both education and the arts, as well as how these skills could land us in engaging, successful careers in the future - where our personal interests/passions would be seen and understood, and looked at as a skillset. I wanted to continue his message in a classroom of my own!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I truly have so many! But, 100% with honesty, the most memorable moments of my career are when students come back to visit, check-in, catch me up on life, show me their recent artworks, etc. The moment they walk in, brings a huge smile to my face. For some, it is a regular occurrence. For others, it has been 10 years and the shock on their face when I remember their name(s) is equal to the excitement of me realizing they are still thinking about me and our time spent together in Room 1!

What would you do with the $25,000?

3 specific dreams of mine I would love to spend some money on! It's been a 10 year goal to write/illustrate/publish a children's book, but due to financial necessities (and a little bit of fear), I have yet to begin. I hope to one day put money towards opening an art cafe for our local community, where members can eat/interact/create in a shared space with like-minded individuals. I would start an annual Art scholarship for multiple graduating seniors in our local underprivileged community!