Teaching Like Teri Scholarship

From a young age, I’ve always found myself drawn to the joy of helping others learn. What began as a simple love for caring for children grew into a deeper calling, a desire to become a teacher who not only educates but uplifts, supports, and inspires the next generation. For me, teaching is more than a career; it’s a way to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children every day. The decision to pursue teaching solidified during my seventh-grade year, one of the most challenging times in my life. I was navigating personal struggles, social change, and the emotional toll of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the chaos, one of my teachers consistently showed up for me offering encouragement, and compassion. Her belief in me helped me believe in myself, and I realized I wanted to be that person for someone else. Since then, I’ve dedicated myself to gaining hands-on experience with children. I’ve worked as a nanny for five years, interned at Woodland Montessori School, and supported students in a local homeschool co-op. These roles have shaped me into a patient, empathetic, and resourceful ‘educator-in-training’. I’ve seen first-hand how small gestures, like a smile, a listening ear, or a word of encouragement, can impact a child’s confidence and sense of belonging. In the fall of 2025, I will attend the University of Montana Western in Dillon to pursue a degree in Elementary Education for grades K-8. I chose UMW for its strong education program, affordability, and flexible scheduling that supports working students. While attending, I plan to participate in their unique Rule-School program, where upperclassmen gain experience leading local classrooms on Fridays. This opportunity will help me grow into a confident, capable teacher before I even graduate. My ultimate goal is to teach in a small-town or rural public school, much like the ones I attended. I want to create a classroom that feels safe, welcoming, and full of possibility. I believe all children deserve a teacher who sees them for who they are, who values their voice, and who challenges them to grow, not just academically, but emotionally and socially as well. Teaching is my purpose. I want to be the person a child remembers not just for the lessons I taught, but for the way I made them feel. With every student I meet, I hope to be a source of stability, encouragement, and belief, and in doing so, make a lifelong impact.

I plan to be an Agriculture Education teacher and FFA advisor for a rural school in the future. Since joining Ag classes and FFA in the seventh grade, this has been my dream career. I have a love and passion for agriculture and I believe that it should be taught in every school across the country. Throughout high school, I had a fairly rough experience in the ag ed department considering I was basically my chapter's advisor, alongside my mother, for two years. We had no ag teacher for this time and a weak FFA chapter on the years that we did have an advisor. We struggled to keep ag teachers for longer than a year and it was difficult to encourage kids to join FFA. We never had more than ten dedicated kids in our chapter who had the determination to stick with it, so I hope to bring a better experience to a high school in the future; one with consistency, strength, and organization. Multiple important experiences have shaped the person I am today. I have been involved in 4-H, FFA, and many other local groups & organizations. The most impactful organization I have been involved in has been FFA. I became a member of the Chester-Joplin-Inverness FFA Chapter as a seventh grader in 2018, and this was just the beginning of a journey that would impact me to great lengths. I have now been an active member for 6 years and am in a new chapter, the Conrad FFA. I have competed in numerous different events and activities, such as livestock & horse judging, parliamentary procedure, extemporaneous speaking, mechanics, agronomy, etc. I have attended state-wide and nationwide events, like Washington Leadership Conference in Washington DC, Alumni Leadership Camp in the Highwood Mountains, the Northern International Livestock Expo in Billings, Montana FFA Ag Expo in Bozeman, among numerous other FFA events. One of my favorite Montana FFA events is Fusion/GOLD Conference, a leadership conference held in January in Helena, MT. We learn about leadership, career goals & preparation, and participate in numerous different rounds of mock interviews. Through FFA, I have learned how to be a good leader with strong values & a positive impact. I am running for a State FFA Office in the beginning of April, and if I am honored enough to attain an office, I plan to share my message with the membership and anyone I come in contact with. These reasons have driven me to become a teacher and share my experiences with young agriculturalists with a passion for agriculture.