Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher after seeing my nephew come back home crushed after his first day of school. We had built school up to him, and he left that morning full of excitement and joy. Seeing his pained expression, and slumped, silent walk up the stairs as he returned that day, broke my heart. I found out later that his teacher was not very patient with this sensitive child. I knew that there were dozens of kids like him, who probably came home like this every day. I vowed to do something. I did.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable teaching experience happened as a "teacher specialist". I received a standing ovation from fellow teachers, after leading teams to create new bilingual curriculum resources for them to use with their students. I never expected that it would have such an impact. My heart still warms thinking about it.

What would you do with the $25,000?

For the past 2 years, I have been in and out of hospitals. My husband held up the fort at home with our 3 boys (my grandsons) while I was recovering from sepsis for 4 months. I would love to take him to Honduras to see his mother and visit his father's grave, or to México to thank him for being there for us. The rest would go into college funds for the boys.