Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher after getting myself in some trouble as a teen. As community service, my mother signed me up to be a counselor at a summer camp for children with special needs to teach me a life lesson of how rewarding it is to help others and how precious life is. Needless to say, I fell in love with the special needs community and have been a special education teacher for 10 years now. I owe it all to my Mama!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable teaching experience is when I worked with a self-contained class of 7 students, all of whom had Autism. I was able to teach them beyond academics, including emotional self-regulation, building friendships and most importantly bringing a sense of love back into their education. After two consecutive years, their parents wrote a heartfelt letter to our school administration sharing their gratitude on just how far their children have progressed!

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would use the $25,000 to invest in the futures of my special education students!