Tori Schommer

Tell us why you became a teacher

I worked as a behavioral therapist for 10 years before getting my teaching license. I had grown so passionate about helping children and families' manage severe and intense behavior that I wanted more ownership and the ability to create and implement my own student-led and strengths-based programming. I've been a teacher in behavioral settings for 7 years now and every day I am reminded of how worth it was to take the leap into this career.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

Last year, I worked with some students with severe trauma. It was intense work; some of my students were terrified of growing trust or love with another adult because so many had hurt them in the past. The other day, one of my old students came up to me and handed me a folded note that said, "You changed my life. You're the best person I know." I will look at that every day because it reminds me of what love can do to change the way a person feels and potentially even their life's outcome.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would use some of the money to pay back my student loans, but would very much also like to make meaningful contributions to charities that mean a lot to me: primarily those involving animal welfare, disability rights, and people experiencing housing insecurities. My husband and I have never had the extra income to donate much monetarily to nonprofits we support. This would enable us to finally do that.