I retired from the Air Force after 22 years and then became a Realtor. I did that for a short time, but I missed my military roots and mainly the love of teaching. I was a Military Training Instructor for the Air Force and enjoyed seeing the transition individuals made when taught new skills. I looked into teaching Air Force Junior ROTC and landed a position. This was my chance to mentor youth to be the best version of themselves. I'm in my 14th year and loving it!

Having a student sing the National Anthem at a MLB game was memorable. I was planning our field trip to Los Angeles and had already set up cadets to do a color guard for the Dodgers/Angels game. I had a cadet come to me and ask, "Who is singing the National Anthem?" He said he wanted to sing. He was the quiet kid that never talked, and he wanted to sing! I put him in front of the class and he nailed it. I sent a video to the Dodgers and he sang on the field in front of the crowd.

I could take my wife (fellow teacher) to Hawaii as she has never been there before and have a relaxing vacation. But, I would really like to use it for all my students to see Hawaii. You see, I take some of my students to Oahu every two years to learn about the events surrounding the attack on Pearl Harbor. Due to the cost, some students just can't afford it. I would appreciate the opporunity to take every single one of them, so that is what I would do with the $25,000.