Tell us why you became a teacher

Teaching was not in my original plan. I knew I wanted to help people and make a difference with the knowledge I had, but I did not know how or what to pursue. Because I didn’t know what to do with a history degree, my advisors placed me in education courses, where I did student teaching. Although at first I saw this career path as an accident, I quickly learned that God had a plan for me. Teaching, guiding, molding, empowering, inspiring, and motivating these students was my purpose.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

Too many to count, but one that happens every day is when students take the time to say hi to me in the halls and say goodbye when they leave class. To someone else, that may seem meaningless, but with everything that captures a high schooler’s attention—like social media and drama—that’s huge! If I were to look back at my teaching days 10 years from now, God willing, I would say I was loved.

What would you do with the $25,000?

Give back to my family and put a downpayment for a house.