Makayla Nash

My first question I was received on my interview when taking a teaching job fresh out of college was, “How can you make an impact if you’re so young?” I responded, “That’s the best part.” I knew being so personable would contribute to me being a true role model & outlet for my students. I want kids to remember who I was like how I remember some of my teachers. I became a teacher to help change my students’ lives. Not only am I changing their lives, but they’re changing mine too. I’m grateful.

My most memorable teaching experience was this school year during Back to School. I was fortunate enough to partner with Finishline/ JD Sports and give a new pair of air force 1 sneakers to 100 students for free. My initiative was to help build students’ confidence walking into the school year. My school suffers from poverty/ homelessness. Due to that students are not confident in the clothes/shoes they have. I was able to help take a load off of a parent while getting a child excited for school

I have my own nonprofit organization that I developed since becoming a teacher called DRIP DRIVE. (https://www.dripdrive.org) I go to different schools around the country and set them up like shopping malls where students may pick out an entire outfits for free! This nonprofit is an incentivized program helps raise self esteem, build confidence and promote kids to be excited for school. I would put this $25,000 towards my nonprofit to be able to continue to provide schools with my resources.