Tell us why you became a teacher

I always had a passion for kids, and started working with kids from a young age of 15. I was a ADA special needs mentor for an autistic child at a summer fun. Along with worked in big brothers big sisters program, this allowed me to grow in my passion. I am now a full time lead pre-K teacher and helping students/ families who are low income households. Along with families where english is their second language.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

This experience took place just the other day, I had started my shift and one of my students had just been dropped off. Her mom said she had a surprise for me, and to my surprise my student had purple temporary hair dye. And stated “I’m just like you miss Kaila!!” I myself have pink and purple colored hair,She then hugged me and stated “you’re my teacher forever”. This reminded me why I do what I do, and why I push through the hard days.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would use $5,000 to donate to my school center and the rest of the money to pay off my student loans. This would give me a fresh start in my finances and allow me to help impact my school to help our students get a better learning experience.