Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because when I in elementary school I struggled academically. However, I had an amazing support team of teachers who were with me every step of the way and help me get through it and develop a love of learning. By middle school I was back on track and in high school I graduated on the top 10% of my class. I know that if it weren’t for the teachers in my life, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I always wanted to give back and be that teacher for someone one day!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable moment teaching has been seeing a student have a break through and watching the “light bulb” moment. It was when I was working early in my career and I had a student who was struggling with letter sounds and CVC words. We worked everyday for weeks and one day it finally clicked and she did it. It was such an incredible experience to witness a student make a breakthrough. That is was its all about!

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would be so grateful to have that money, I would definitely donate a large portion to our school to make some improvements and buy some fun learning tools for our students. Times are tight, so they would be a huge blessing for our school! I would also love to spend some money to take my family on a trip or some other experience where we can build memories. Finally and practically, I would pay off some of our familial expenses.