I became a teacher due to the influence of multiple educators in my family. My Great Great Aunt was not only a teacher but became a principal too. My mom was also a teacher and watching her in her element with the band, choir and little kids showed me what an impact someone can make on a kids life. This did not only lead me to being a teacher, but my younger brother as well.

At the start of a school year I had a girl who wasn't coming to school very often.. As the year progressed I made a promise to myself to tell her how proud or excited I was to have her at school. Winter break came and I was out on maternity leave for 9 weeks due to my daughters health. The day I returned, she ran up to me as soon as the bell rang for the day to start & tackled me with a hug and the tears started rolling down both of our faces. Your impact is rarely known until after the fact.

$25,000 would do wonders for my family. I would be able to pay off the remaining balance of my student loans, I would be able to pay off the debt accrued from my daughters medical bills due to multiple surgeries and weeks in the NICU. But most importantly, I would pay off my school's lunch debt for every student. A hungry student can't focus, but a student with a full belly is engaged and willing to learn!