My entire life, I always strived to help people. I was a sign language interpreter for a deaf family in high school. I tutored high school students for free when I was in college. Shortly after graduating college, when I was working for a research company, I felt like I wasn't making a difference anymore. My passion started with science and continued into education. I received my bachelor's degree in Biology in 2012, with the initial intention of going into the medical or research field. This changed after I worked as an EMT, and my large bleeding heart could not stand to see the amount of suffering of others. While I was working full-time, I decided to acquire my EMT and Firefighter certifications. I spent 2 years learning how to help the public as an EMT and Firefighter. Being 5'0" and 115 pounds, I realized I could not continue this as a career, but I still wanted to help the public. I decided to become a public school teacher. While teaching full-time, I continued to volunteer on the side as an EMT/Firefighter. I landed a job teaching in 2016. In the 6 years that I taught, I launched and grew a Gifted Academy from the ground up. I have taught and built curricula for Biology, Chemistry, AP Biology, and IB Biology. I specialized in teaching and building curricula for gifted and ESOL courses. I won Teacher of the Year in early 2021. All of this time I continued my volunteering services with the South Florida fire departments. While teaching, I found a love for building curricula. I started creating free content for teachers online. That following has grown exponentially and I am grateful for the opportunity to help teachers and their students. To this day, I volunteer as needed for my community. Every second counts when trying to make your impact on the world. Every time I help a student at school or help a citizen by providing comfort in times of crisis, I feel a little brighter about my impact on the world. I have found a sense of community and comradery within the fire service in my district, and I would trust any of those wonderful people with my life. I'm glad to continue making a difference alongside such bright and courageous individuals. I will continue doing this volunteer work as long as I possibly can (really, as long as my body will allow).

he phrase "who rescued who" can't ring more true than when we talk about adopting my sweet girl, Ruby. Two weeks after buying my first house and one week after finding out I couldn’t have children, I found Ruby. Or perhaps, she found me. I was 25 and felt lost; she guided my path. She was picked up by an animal rescue after she was hit by a car. Luckily, this rescue specialized in rehabilitation of animals they discovered. They had to amputate one of her front legs. This three legged pup was scared and devastated; her previous owners didn’t want her anymore. Who rescued who? Honestly, she rescued me. 7 years later we rescued baby Pretzel from the side of a highway. He was motherless and came with a host of behavioral problems. After many months of training, socializing, and loving him - he's become a loyal and loving guardian. Years later, Ruby and Pretzel are inseparable and they are nothing short of being the children I couldn't have. They complete me.

When I went to a doctor after turning only 25, I learned that I had PCOS, was pre-diabetic, as well as abnormally high cholesterol for my age. I knew I had to make a change. I started exercising for the first time in my life, and eating primarily plant-based and I lost 100 pounds. I was no longer pre-diabetic. My cholesterol level at 30 was still high after losing the weight. I cut meat from my diet entirely and at 31 I had a lower cholesterol level than I had ever seen. Eating and living healthy is so important, and I have learned this over time through my actions and the actions of my family. I am now approaching 32 and I feel healthier than I ever have. My doctors say my bloodwork is pristine and I am able to run marathons, lift heavy weights, master yoga inversions, and do things that I never thought I could do when I was 210 pounds. With healthy living, I found that anything is possible.

When I went to a doctor after turning only 25, I learned that I had PCOS, was pre-diabetic, as well as abnormally high cholesterol for my age. I knew I had to make a change. I started exercising for the first time in my life, and eating primarily plant-based and I lost 100 pounds. I was no longer pre-diabetic. My cholesterol level at 30 was still high after losing the weight. I cut meat from my diet entirely and at 31 I had a lower cholesterol level than I had ever seen. Eating and living healthy is so important, and I have learned this over time through my actions and the actions of my family. I am now approaching 32 and I feel healthier than I ever have. My doctors say my bloodwork is pristine and I am able to run marathons, lift heavy weights, master yoga inversions, and do things that I never thought I could do when I was 210 pounds. With healthy living, I found that anything is possible.

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” - Henry Ford Lifelong learning is ingrained in my being as an educator. I have a natural desire to grow, explore, and learn. Being a lifelong learner has improved my quality of life by always be open to new ideas and new information. I am continually inspired by others and motivated to be as knowledgeable as I can be. I am always reaching to absorb as much as I can. Work conference? Sign me up. Podcast regarding new scientific discoveries? I'm listening right now. Daily news alerts to know what's happening around me? I just got another notification. Deep conversations with friends and family? Daily. Lifelong learning keeps you connected, informed, be mentally healthy, and drives success. I will never stop learning. This was created for my portfolio over a year ago, and I still stand by it: https://www.canva.com/design/DAE1Dr5OtpE/sj-pK0WpTlcf2cW2_oHuZA/view?utm_content=DAE1Dr5OtpE&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink

When I was only 13 years old I tried to take my own life. Last year I lost one of my closest, and seemingly happiest, friends to suicide. This is an epidemic that has been surrounding me and many others for my entire life. "Mental health…is not a destination, but a process. It’s about how you drive, not where you’re going." — Noam Shpancer, PhD My mental health journey has not been linear. Therapy has been critical to my healing. Finding purpose and my "zen" has also been a crucial part of my healing process. My journey through mental illness and struggle has humbled and awakened me to the need for everyone to have access to mental health treatment. While working in the school system, I have focused much of my professional development I have delivered as a Professional Development Specialist on social-emotional learning and healing. Children and adults alike have been through so much, especially these past few years. According to the World Health Organization, more than 700,000 people die due to suicide every year and it is the fourth leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds. Between the lockdowns, quarantine, school closures, the trauma happening around us, the legal system, and disease taking loved ones away - mental health awareness is as important as ever. We need to keep talking about it. It doesn't make you weak to talk about it or to reach out for help. Thank you for helping to bring this issues into the light. “Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” ― J.K.Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

When I went to a doctor after turning only 25, I learned that I had PCOS, was pre-diabetic, as well as abnormally high cholesterol for my age. I knew I had to make a change. I started exercising for the first time in my life, and eating primarily plant-based and I lost 100 pounds. I was no longer pre-diabetic. My cholesterol level at 30 was still high after losing the weight. I cut meat from my diet entirely and at 31 I had a lower cholesterol level than I had ever seen. Eating and living healthy is so important, and I have learned this over time through my actions and the actions of my family. I am now approaching 32 and I feel healthier than I ever have. My doctors say my bloodwork is pristine and I am able to run marathons, lift heavy weights, master yoga inversions, and do things that I never thought I could do when I was 210 pounds. With healthy living, I found that anything is possible.

I am a vegan. Being plant-based goes far beyond my love for animals. From the use of natural resources, the waste, and the contribution to pollution, the production of meat and meat-based products takes a massive toll on our environment. According to research by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (2018), if animal production remains unregulated, by 2050, meat and dairy farms will account for 80% of the budgeted greenhouse gas emissions. We are in a "code red" when it comes to climate change. We see imminent danger for civilization if action is not taken immediately. Veganism not only helps reduce emissions and energy consumption, but it also reduces our personal carbon footprint. I am vegan for my health and cholesterol levels. I am vegan to support my love for animals and pay back the love they have shown me. I am vegan for our planet.

Growing up, I always knew that my paternal grandfather died of a heart attack when my father was only 13 years old. My father had a heart attack when I was 28 years old. My maternal grandmother died 3 months ago of lung cancer. Throughout my life I saw the impact of your actions on your longevity. Heart disease runs on my dads side, and cancer runs on my mother's side. Throughout my life, I didn't make the best decision while knowing this. I ate relatively unhealthy and at 5'0" I hit a staggering 210 pounds. I smoked cigarettes for 13 years. When I went to a doctor after turning only 25, I learned that I had PCOS, was pre-diabetic, as well as abnormally high cholesterol for my age. I knew I had to make a change. I started exercising for the first time in my life, and eating primarily plant-based and I lost 100 pounds. I was no longer pre-diabetic. My cholesterol level at 30 was still high after losing the weight. I cut meat from my diet entirely and at 31 I had a lower cholesterol level than I had ever seen. Eating and living healthy is so important, and I have learned this over time through my actions and the actions of my family. I am now approaching 32 and I feel healthier than I ever have. My doctors say my bloodwork is pristine and I am able to run long distances, lift heavy weights, and do things that I never thought I could do when I was 210 pounds. With healthy living, I found that anything is possible.

The phrase "who rescued who" can't ring more true than when we talk about adopting my sweet girl, Ruby. Two weeks after buying my first house and one week after finding out I couldn’t have children, I found Ruby. Or perhaps, she found me. I was 25 and felt lost; she guided my path. She was picked up by an animal rescue after she was hit by a car. Luckily, this rescue specialized in rehabilitation of animals they discovered. They had to amputate one of her front legs. This three legged pup was scared and devastated; her previous owners didn’t want her anymore. Who rescued who? Honestly, she rescued me. 7 years later we rescued baby Pretzel from the side of a highway. He was motherless and came with a host of behavioral problems. After many months of training, socializing, and loving him - he's become a loyal and loving guardian. Years later, Ruby and Pretzel are inseparable and they are nothing short of being the children I couldn't have. They complete me.

The phrase "who rescued who" can't ring more true than when we talk about adopting my sweet girl, Ruby. Two weeks after buying my first house and one week after finding out I couldn’t have children, I found Ruby. Or perhaps, she found me. I was 25 and felt lost; she guided my path. She was picked up by an animal rescue after she was hit by a car. Luckily, this rescue specialized in rehabilitation of animals they discovered. They had to amputate one of her front legs. This three legged pup was scared and devastated; her previous owners didn’t want her anymore. Who rescued who? Honestly, she rescued me. 7 years later we rescued baby Pretzel from the side of a highway. He was motherless and came with a host of behavioral problems. After many months of training, socializing, and loving him - he's become a loyal and loving guardian. Years later, Ruby and Pretzel are inseparable and they are nothing short of being the children I couldn't have. They complete me.

The phrase "who rescued who" can't ring more true than when we talk about adopting my sweet girl, Ruby. Two weeks after buying my first house and one week after finding out I couldn’t have children, I found Ruby. Or perhaps, she found me. I was 25 and felt lost; she guided my path. She was picked up by an animal rescue after she was hit by a car. Luckily, this rescue specialized in rehabilitation of animals they discovered. They had to amputate one of her front legs. This three legged pup was scared and devastated; her previous owners didn’t want her anymore. Who rescued who? Honestly, she rescued me. 7 years later we rescued baby Pretzel from the side of a highway. He was motherless and came with a host of behavioral problems. After many months of training, socializing, and loving him - he's become a loyal and loving guardian. Years later, Ruby and Pretzel are inseparable and they are nothing short of being the children I couldn't have. They complete me.

"Our hobbies should be a form of dissent, a radical expression of our individuality, a celebration of doing things that we’re not obliged to do." (Preston, 2016) I found a self of fulfillment in my life through a wide array of hobbies - art, gardening, crafting, repurposing, reading, film reviews, podcasting, volunteering, and creating free content for teachers. My favorite of the above has been helping fellow educators by creating high-quality learning content in difficult courses and providing them at no cost. I found my purpose in life becoming an educator and I could feel the impact I had on my students. When I became comfortable with my content and realized I enjoyed creating it, I started to feel as I could leverage this to serve the educator community. I now have helped over 10,000 educators worldwide by providing my free content. It's the most fulfilling venture I have taken, and I plan on continuing as long as I can continue making that impact.

The most inspiring book I ever read was actually one that I read over 20 years ago. It was so striking, so shocking, and so impactful. That book was Diary of Anne Frank. It showed a life that I could never imagine, and it was the first time I feel like I could visualize everything happening in a book, and I was nothing short of horrified. Since I first read it I’ve read it over a dozen times since. The impact it has on me has never wavered.

The most inspiring book I ever read was actually one that I read over 20 years ago. It was so striking, so shocking, and so impactful. That book was Diary of Anne Frank. It showed a life that I could never imagine, and it was the first time I feel like I could visualize everything happening in a book, and I was nothing short of horrified. Since I first read it I’ve read it over a dozen times since. The impact it has on me has never waivered.

Two weeks after buying my first house and one week after finding out I couldn’t have children, I found Ruby. She was picked up by a rescue after she was hit by a car. They had to amputate one of her front legs. This three legged pup was scared and devastated; her previous owners didn’t want her anymore. Who rescued who? Honestly, she rescued me. 6 years later we realized Pretzel from the side of a highway. Years later, the two are inseparable and they are nothing short of being my children.

I am a 31 year old passionate educator and a motivated employee. I am an artist, a scientist, and an instructional designer. I consider myself a lifelong learner. My passion started with science, and continued into education. I received my bachelors in Biology in 2012, with the initial intention of going into the medical field. This changed after I worked as an EMT, and my large bleeding heart could not stand to see the amount of suffering of others. I landed a job teaching in 2016. In the 6 years that I taught, I launched and grew a Gifted Academy from the ground up. I have taught and built curriculum for Biology, Chemistry, AP Biology, and IB Biology. I specialized in teaching and building curriculum for gifted and ESOL courses. I won Teacher of the Year in early 2021. While teaching, I found a love for building curriculum. I started creating free content for teachers online. That following has grown exponentially and I am grateful for the opportunity to help teachers and their students. I also found a way to reduce my stress - art. I started painting and eventually launched a side business - Tenebrifica.com. My passion for education has helped me land a dream job of mine - professional development specialist for teachers. I feel as though I can make a greater impact in this position, and want to extend my learning to further help teachers become stronger educators. With all of these passions combined, my goal is to become an Instructional Designer. This combines my love for art, curriculum, and education. This is why I am getting my masters degree in this field.

My entire life, I always strived to help people. I was a sign language interpreter for a deaf family in high school. I tutored high school students for free when I was in college. Shortly after graduating college, when I was working for a research company, I felt like I wasn't making a difference anymore. While I was working full time, I decided to acquire my EMT and Firefighter certification. I spent 2 years learning how to help the public as an EMT and Firefighter. Being 5'0" and 115 pounds, I realized I could not continue this as a career, but I still wanted to help the public. I decided to become a public school teacher. While teaching full time, I continued to volunteer on the side as an EMT/Firefighter. To this day, I volunteer as needed for my community. Every second counts when trying to make your impact on the world. Every time I help a student at school, or help a citizen by providing comfort in times of crisis, I feel a little brighter about my impact on the world.

My passion started with science, and continued into education. I received my bachelors in Biology from UCF in 2012, with the initial intention of going into the medical field. This changed after I worked as an EMT for a short while, and my large bleeding heart could not stand to see the amount of suffering of others. I still wanted to do good for the world, so I landed a job teaching in 2016 and have not looked back from education since. In the 6 years that I taught, I launched and grew a Gifted Academy from the ground up. I have taught and built curriculum for Biology, Chemistry, AP Biology, and IB Biology. I have specialized in teaching and building curriculum for gifted and ESOL courses. I won Teacher of the Year in 2021 shortly before being promoted. My passion for education has helped me land a dream job of mine - specializing in professional development for teachers. I feel as though I can make a greater impact in this position, and want to extend my learning to further help teachers become stronger educators. While teaching, I found a love for building curriculum. I started creating and launching free content for teachers online. That following has grown exponentially and I am grateful for the opportunity to help teachers, which in turn helps their students. I also found a way to reduce my stress - art. I started painting and eventually launched a side business - Tenebrifica.com. I create and sell horror-based art. With all of these passions combined, my goal is to become an Instructional Designer. This combines my love for art, curriculum, and education. This is why I am getting my masters degree in this field.

Thank you so much for your consideration. Over the last 6 years, I have poured my heart into education, my students, and my fellow teachers. I think it’s important to mention the technological shift as we teach this generation. The face of education is undergoing a shift, and teachers need to be able to adjust to that shift. We need to be more flexible and versatile than ever before. I think it’s important to support the teachers with meaningful resources that are relevant to the time. I created a course to help teachers during the technological shift in COVID. I spent over 40 unpaid hours on the course, and built it up to 6 different modules with over 60 step-by-step videos. Within a couple days of publishing the course, I had over 400 teachers enrolled in my course, watching over 60 videos of content. When school started, I got floods of emails, texts, and phone calls thanking me for my help. They told me that I made this way of teaching possible for them. I feel like this not only impacted those 400+ teachers, but all of their students as well. I care so much about education, and I would love the opportunity to deepen my understanding. My current income does not fund my dreams, and I am struggling to make ends meet as is. I am a 31 year old passionate educator and a motivated employee. I am an artist, a scientist, and an instructional designer. I consider myself a lifelong learner. I have never had much money, growing up or in my adulthood, and any kind of assistance will be life-changing for me. I am looking to obtain my masters in education with the specialization of instructional technology and design. My career goals are to stay within the field of education , but to advance to make a greater impact on teachers in my community. I previously was a teacher trainer. I supported teachers by creating training modules with step-by-step videos. The modules provided trainings on technology systems: Canvas (beginner to advanced), Nearpod, ELLevation, Microsoft Office365 Suite Apps, Flipgrid, Canvas Studio, Immersive Reader, Epic Pen, Canva, and Clever. I believe my current expertise in technology, coupled with obtaining my masters degree, will help me get closer to my goals. The more impact I can make on teachers, the more we can help our students.

My favorite scientific discovery is penicillin. I think it's amazing that it was an accident, and fascinating to think that everything happens for a reason. Penicillin was discovered when the world was in dire need of a cure, and there it flew (quite literally) into Andrew Fleming's life and changed the world.