Tell us why you became a teacher

I was originally going for my Master's in Counseling but then switched to teaching because it was more centered in the heart of working with students directly. Education has always been my line of work and something I have gravitated towards. I also grew up watching Bill Nye and love showing his videos to my class for science. Bill Nye has always been relatable and well-liked by any age throughout the years and I'm happy to say that my students request his videos.

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

Any card or picture I receive from my students. I always hang their work up on my walls and keep the ones that are incredibly touching. Any silly moment I have with my first graders, any party we celebrate together. These are the moments in teaching that feel worth it to me because we truly are a little class family. I have these kids for an entire school year. I still have past students coming up to me and hugging me and they're in middle school now!

What would you do with the $25,000?

I just found out my dog actually has cancer currently a couple weeks ago. He just turned 4 and I rescued him from the humane society a year ago. I would love to use this money towards his chemo treatments over the next year. I also had a teacher friend just pass away from skin cancer. Her school has a memorial being built for her and there was a grant funded in her name for future college students to honor her dedication to teaching; which I would also like to contribute towards.