Ever since my little brother was born, I’ve been reading to him and teaching him the difference between orange and red. I just knew I wanted to teach one day. Every time someone asked me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I always said, “I want to be a teacher.” But whenever they followed up with, “What do you want to teach?” I never had an answer. I always knew I was meant to teach, but nothing ever felt quite right. That changed during my junior year of high school. I had an open spot in my schedule, and my advisor placed me in a class called PEPI, Physical Education Peer Instructors. Within the first week of doing PE with the special needs students at my school, I knew in my heart that this was it. I wanted to dedicate my life to helping students like them achieve their goals. I had never felt more at home or more accepted than I did working with students with disabilities. During my senior year, I interned in one of the special education classrooms, and that experience only confirmed what I already knew. I feel that God has called me to this work, to be an advocate, a supporter, and someone who helps students with disabilities reach their full potential. People often question my choice. They remind me that it’ll be hard, that I won’t be paid fairly. But I honestly find that ridiculous, because I know nothing will fulfill me the way this work will. I believe some people are placed on this earth for a reason, and this is mine. People often underestimate individuals with disabilities, but I’ve learned more from them than I could ever teach. Shelton taught me that it doesn’t matter how many people doubt you, what matters is believing in yourself. Kyle showed me that there’s beauty in the most mundane parts of life. Mia reminded me of the importance of standing up for yourself. I could list so many reasons why I’ve chosen this path, but it really comes down to one thing: when you have a true passion for something, like I do for working with students with disabilities, you owe it to yourself, and to the people you serve, to follow it. Tune out the negativity, ignore the doubts, and go for it. After graduation, I plan to teach in a high school special needs classroom. I also hope to earn my Master’s degree in Special Education at NC State. As a North Carolina Teaching Fellow, I’m committed to teaching in North Carolina for at least four years, but even after that, I plan to stay. I believe North Carolina is in desperate need of strong, well-trained special education teachers, and I hope to be part of the solution.