Tell us why you became a teacher

I chose teaching because of the difference I have seen my mother make in her teaching career. I specifically chose middle school because of the impact one of my college professors made. He explained how impactful adults can be in a teenagers life. His explanation of the middle school students mind and the inspiration from my mother's career have pushed me to become the most inspiring teacher I can be by influencing middle school students and moving to college where I can inspire future teachers.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable teaching experience was when I created a large 10x10 graph on my classroom floor for our slope and y-intercept unit. For the activity students used string and cups to create lines with given requirements such as a slope of 2 and passes through (3,6). This activity engaged my students and they were excited to learn. I've extended this activity to multiple graphs on my walls (when class sizes were too big for a large graph) and using blacklight to make the graphs "pop".

What would you do with the $25,000?

The $25,000 would be life changing for me. I would begin by paying off student debt and then utilize the funds to obtain my doctoral degree in Mathematics Education. My long term goal is to become an education professor to help inspire future teachers. Additionally, I would attempt to use some of the funds to start up more middle school specific programs across the state of Texas as middle school teacher numbers are declining significantly every year.