Tell us why you became a teacher

I have always wanted to be a teacher from my very first day of Kindergarten. I am a fourth generation teacher on both sides of my family, so many would say teaching is in my blood. Throughout my life I have felt called to teach students and to provide for them a stable adult that they can come to with life's problems. I started teaching and working with kids when I was only 12 years old on a voluntary basis. These opportunities grew for me as I entered adulthood and earned my degree.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

In my frist year of teaching I had a student that became very special to me. He struggled with his other teachers because he had ADHD and needed constant movement which his other teachers did not allow. At the end of the year he took the trophy he got for participating in football and instead dedicated it to me because he felt I was the only teacher that truly understood what his needs were in order for him to be successful.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would pay off the remainder of my Masters degree student loans and then reinvest the remainder of the money in resources for my students in my school and classroom. I would like my students to have desks and tables on wheels with whiteboard features to enable more interactive movement in my classroom lessons.