Tell us why you became a teacher

I became a teacher because when I was growing up, I did not have the best start in life. But thanks to wonderful people in my life who choose to love me, including teachers, I was able to get past all the bad and become a person I would want someone to be able to look up to. I wanted to be able to make an impact on as many students' lives as possible. I wanted to be a person students could look up to and know they had a safe space if they needed one, while learning to love learning!

Tell us about your most memorable teaching experience

While teaching, I have had many opportunities to get to know students who "were at risk," or who did not have the best home life. This included just not having their basic needs met. I often find connections with those students, and even once I was able to make a relationship with a student who felt they could trust me enough to let me know they did not have a coat, and because of the connection I made sure their needs were met, but not because of wanting recognition, but for unconditional love.

What would you do with the $25,000?

With $25,000, I would use it to help build some of my students' experiences in the arts, especially things that would not be possible on a normal day. I would also use this to pay off my credit card debt and other bills as a single mother; it would help me drastically.