Corey Humphrey

Tell us why you became a teacher

I had the most awesome high school English teacher, Mr. Walker. He facilitated deep and interesting discussions with us, helped me to overcome my fear of public speaking through drama and improv, and he cared deeply for students - especially the ones other adults seemed to have given up on. As an openly gay teacher in a conservative small town in West Virginia, he modeled how to stay true to yourself even if it's difficult. He inspired me to become a teacher like him.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I was teaching a diverse group of students at a boarding school in Hawai'i. The class I designed was Philosophy in Literature. I had insisted we do a service project as part of our unit on Compassion. The students had to choose the organization we would help. They chose a local family tarro farm. The day we volunteered there was unforgettable. We travelled into a remote valley. It was raining. We were greeted by wild horses. We spent several hours in the mud and rain weeding the fields.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would spend some on my family, but I would also spend some to fund a project on Appalachian literacy called Voices of West Virginia. I volunteer for the group on the advisory board. The mission is to ensure that WV youth know that there are talented writers from the state telling stories about Appalachia to global audiences.