Tell us why you became a teacher

I started teaching preschool while I was working on my Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education/School Psychology. I continued to teach as an adjunct professor after I became a school psychologist. After 10 years as a school psych (K-12), I took a full-time teaching position at the local community college. I love the subjects I teach. I love working with students, especially those that are first generation college student. I want to open their eyes to the complex social world around them.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My favorite class exercise is to have a Zombie apocalypse. They are the only survivors and their goals are to survive. They need to come up with short term goals and long term goals. I leave the room. What I find almost every time is that they divide the class into traditional gender roles related to hunting and gathering. They make strict laws, including cutting off the hands of those that steal food. I discuss with them about how social equality is easier when you have unlimited resources.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I am a veteran and served in the Iowa National Guard and Army Reserve. I served two tours overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq. Upon returning from my first deployment, I realized that we are losing more service members to suicide than we are in combat. I started a student group called "In My Boots" and we sponsor a 5K run to raise money and awareness to the needs of returning veterans. I will use the money to assist veterans and establish scholarships for their children,