Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because of my love for children. I have 5 children of my own and a granddaughter and I’m am happy to say that I have been teaching for 31 years. I was a high school math teacher and now I teach Engineering Design and Presentation. I am always looking for new and creative ways to engage my students. I also became a teacher because I wanted to pass on my passion for learning and to encourage students to become leaders. I don’t let them fail in anything they do.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

My most memorable experience is having my students create websites and applications to help solve a community problem using artificial intelligence. I invited the El Paso Community Foundation to watch presentations and to see what my students created. They were so impressed they invited them to present to CEO’s and presidents of companies who are now interested in hiring them for internships. They also submitted these projects to the Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge in Washington.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I would like to pay my credit card debt. I have been helping my nephew for the past 3 years who is going through a really difficult time in his life and have thousands of dollars helping him.