Olivia Pursley

Tell us why you became a teacher

Growing up, I was always the older kid wrangling the younger ones. Adults told me my whole childhood and teenage years that I was great with children. And grew up to love kids! I find I connect with them quickly and form strong mentor relationships, and I love seeing them learn and grow. Teaching was a natural progression. I want to guide the next generation to be kind, capable, and independent.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I support several preschoolers with autism to access their learning. Building a relationship with one of the students I support has been an incredibly memorable journey; seeing her grow to follow our class routines, interact with peers, participate in our lessons, but most notably, how much her typically developing peers have embraced her. She is so loved in our class and I’m so grateful to get to work with her.

What would you do with the $25,000?

The $25,000 would go directly back towards my education. I hope to continue to develop professionally in my work with special education, as well as hopefully work towards my degree in elementary art education, but currently month-to-month I only make enough to pay my rent and get by. I’d love the opportunity to fund my own education.