Tell us why you became a teacher

My father was a high school teacher. I was lucky enough to be in his class when I was a junior. I saw the impact he made on his students. He would have former students approach us while we were out and about and thank him for everything he did to help them. I wanted to make that kind of a difference. I love what I teach (English and Film) and it is amazing that I get to share my love for these courses with my students. They stay in touch over the years and let me know how I have reached them.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

It is very difficult to pick just one but I will have to say during summer school while I was teaching a credit recovery course last year. I worked with a small group of students for five hours each day. By the end of the session, students who had struggled at the start had grown spectacularly and shared that they had always hated reading and writing papers. After the class, they told me that they found they actually liked to read. Two of them stop by each week to borrow books.

What would you do with the $25,000?

It will go a long way for helping pay for my Master's degree. It would also help fund a vacation for myself and my children, since I have not been able to afford to treat them in the past. We would visit Hollywood and certain locations important in the film industry and I could use that experience to heighten my instruction in my American Film Lit. course.