Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher to provide an opportunity for all children to access knowledge, develop a love of learning, and acquire the social and emotional skills necessary to remain inquisitive and build a better life for themselves, community for each other, and world for all.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

In my first couple years of teaching full-time in Special Education, I had a student named Frank. He was a seventh-grader and incredibly shy. One day he wrote me a note that said “thank you for making me belong here”. I have the note laminated and I carry it with me while I teach years later.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would like to donate $15,000 to my school to develop their library space and help in the expansion of our literacy program. The remaining $10,000 I would like to donate to Open Guard Outreach Inc. a non-profit located in the same city as my school that partners with Springfield Submission Society to provide and develop social-emotional and physical skills, education, and training to adults and the youth in the community.