Women in Elementary Education Scholarship

I’m about to be a first generation college student, and that title carries a lot of weight for me. My parents immigrated to this country and ended up settling in a small farming community where they worked hard so I could have opportunities they never did. Growing up in a town like mine, you learn pretty quick that resources are limited, but the people around you become your village. My teachers were a huge part of that village. They were the ones who pulled me aside and told me I was capable of more than I thought I was. They saw something in me before I could see it in myself, and that completely changed the way I looked at my future. That’s the kind of teacher I want to be one day. I want to walk into a classroom and see every kid the way my teachers saw me. I’ve been involved in tutoring and leadership since eighth grade, so almost six years now, and helping other students has honestly become one of my favorite things in the world. There’s something about watching a kid finally understand a concept they’ve been stuck on that just feels right. It reminds me why I want to do this with my life. One thing I’ve learned along the way is that students can’t fully focus on learning if their basic needs aren’t being taken care of first. If a kid is hungry, scared, or doesn’t feel safe, no amount of fun lesson plans is going to make math click for them. That’s why I think being a good teacher means caring about the whole student, not just their grades. I want my future classroom to feel like a place where kids actually want to be. A space where they feel safe enough to ask questions, mess up, try again, and just be themselves. But beyond safety, I want learning to be genuinely fun. I remember the teachers who made class feel like an adventure, the ones who turned a boring lesson into a game or let us be a little silly while still teaching us something real. Those are the lessons that stuck with me. I want to do the same for my students. Whether that’s singing the multiplication tables, doing science experiments outside, or turning a vocabulary lesson into a scavenger hunt, I want my kids to walk out of my classroom excited to come back the next day. Going into elementary education feels like a way to come full circle. The community that raised me deserves teachers who actually care about it, and I want to be one of them. Small farming towns and underserved areas like mine are often overlooked, but the kids growing up there have just as much potential as anyone else. They just need someone willing to invest in them. I want to be that person. I want to give back to the place that shaped me by making sure the next generation of kids feels seen, supported, and excited about learning.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​