Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because my middle school science teacher changed my life. He wasn’t always nice but he cared. He saw when I was struggling, not just with classwork but with life, and gave me the courage and desire to keep going. I aspire to provide the same care and attention to my students.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

I have taught 8th grade science going on 6 years now. There is no one experience that stands heads and shoulders above the rest, but when I see students have their “aha” moments or “I get it” moments, that’s what keeps me going. Science isn’t easy and what I remember more and more each year are those moments.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I’d like to invest a lot of the money back into schools. I’m very passionate about student literacy, science and otherwise. To that end, I’d like to use most of the money to buy books for classrooms and schools that cannot afford to buy books regularly. Especially now when getting access and approval for books in school is harder than ever, it’s important to still find books to inspire and enlighten our students.