Tell us why you became a teacher

After college, I returned to my hometown as a substitute and discovered that middle school was my wheelhouse. I then spent eight years pursuing my dream of becoming a yacht captain, earning my 200-ton USCG captain’s license. After transitioning back to land, I realized my life experience and passion for mentoring made teaching the perfect next chapter.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I’ll never forget when my VEX V5 robotics team won their first qualifying tournament and earned a spot at states. All their hard work and countless hours finally paid off. Seeing the pride and excitement on their faces was the most gratifying moment of my teaching career. I couldn’t have been more proud of them.

What would you do with the $25,000?

Part of it will definitely go back into my Vex robotics teams at my school. The other half would probably go to preparing for our first child.