Throughout my life, I have had many different experiences that have taught me useful life lessons, encouraged me to push forward through adversity, and help prepare me for my future endeavors. I want to use the gifts I was blessed with to help encourage others. Everyone faces trials on a daily basis. They need someone to see possibilities and guide them in the right direction.

“A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.” I want to fulfill this role. It is important to encourage those who are despondent to inspire hope and purpose in their life. People need love and companionship in order to not feel alone. Everyone desires to be apart of a community.

I have been blessed with opportunities to lead, teach, and mentor others. I believe one of my character traits is loving others and including those who are overlooked. I am blessed to have people who have loved and encouraged me throughout my life. This gives me a greater desire to do the same for others. In my opinion, fighting through adversity is a challenge, but very rewarding when accomplished. They may feel like the waves of life are drowning them, but the waves can be overcome.

Whenever I was nine years old my teacher and physician diagnosed me with dyslexia and memory problems. The thought of being different scared me. I did not want to feel left out or dumb. Over the years I have been able to overcome it with the help of others. Though I still struggle on occasion I have improved tremendously. This taught me how to work hard for things that are important to me. I may put in double the hours and get the same result as someone else, but that has built my character. I serve at a special needs camp every summer. This is a place for them to feel loved and normal. I developed patience through my trials to improve my abilities as a counselor.

I chose to work at the Preschool at my church and I have encountered opportunities to encourage four to six year old children. Weekly we encourage teamwork, sharing, and good behavior. These little things develop respect and honoring each other. My school has asked me to speak at lower school chapels. I also serve as a class officer and I am a member: Key Club, Leadership Academy, Students Against Destructive Decisions, National Honor Society, and in Junior High Impact.

Loving and helping others can trump the negative of a lower salary that teachers often encounter. I believe it is more important to love your career and spend your time in a fulfilling job than to work for a high income. I am looking forward to the educational classes in college and learning the skills to inspire children to develop a love for learning.