Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher almost by accident - I wanted to be more than just a secretary. I studied music in college, but knew the world of performing wasn’t for me. Teaching was a revelation, it was the place I was meant to be. I could open doors for students they didn’t know even existed, and watching them walk through into brave new worlds became the most satisfying experience I’d had. The knowledge that I helped shape smart, kind, interesting adults has become my reason to start each new year.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My middle school students had just finished a concert with our high school. A former student who was about to graduate came up to me, and thanked me. “I wouldn’t be alive now if it wasn’t for you,” they said. This student had come out to me as trans in middle school, and then in class gotten nervous when they’d announced it to their choir. I told them to be who they were, and to not apologize. They made it all the way through the rest of HS and graduated, safely, because we accepted.

What would you do with the $25,000?

My daughter faces a very different world than I do, and college is something that is rapidly becoming harder to attain. I would like to set most of it aside for her. I’d also love to see Hawaii and fulfill a lifelong dream of seeing a live volcano… how cool would that be? These are things that are hard or next to impossible as a reach as a teacher, and right now remain ‘someday’ dreams.