Since I was able to walk, I have been promising everyone I have met— whether they asked or not— that I would become a teacher. As someone with an unstable home life in a single-parent household, I would often turn towards teachers to provide something near parental guidance. Now that I am seeking a future in elementary education, I recognize a teacher needs to prove capability in guiding children on a path toward higher education, cultural sensitivity, and respect for peers. I believe strongly that to build a relationship with your students, you need to empathize with them and understand their struggles. I would love to be able to be that beacon of light for another child that my teachers were for me. For the last two years, I have worked as an assistant teacher and childcare provider at a daycare center, often managing the classroom on my own. I have received complimentary feedback from managers, coworkers, and parents on my positive decision-making skills and vigilant supervision and organization, as well as empathetic compassion and nurturing for each child. I know that every child deserves a chance to succeed and prove themselves to society. It does not matter what walk of life they come from, and I want to keep this mindset in my future classroom. As someone who went to a private, Catholic elementary/middle school and later a public high school, I have been able to recognize the societal gap and opportunities some students are given over others. In my classroom, I will hold to the fact that there will be no favoritism. I will ensure equal advantages for all students including those with IEP's, difficult home lives, and financial instability. I also want to be able to be a permanent fixture in lives that may not otherwise have one, allowing students a safe place away from their homes. I firmly believe that I can successfully lead as a caregiver and respectable mentor, and my future career as a teacher will exemplify this ability. As I continue down this career path, I will remember my mindset that every student should be given equal chance, and every student should be addressed with compassion, empathy, and an open mind. As a teacher, you are not just a temporary being- your words and your methods will stick with a student for the rest of their lives. To this day as a senior in high school, I still remember every single teacher I've had by name, and many times I look back on the ways they influenced me and pushed me to become better. My future goal in this profession would be that, someday, I will recognize that I was someone's permanent mentor— I was more to them than "just a teacher".

Since I was able to walk, I have been promising everyone I have met— whether they asked or not— that I would become a teacher. As someone with an unstable home life in a single-parent household, I would often turn towards teachers to provide something near parental guidance. Now that I am seeking a future in elementary education, I recognize a teacher needs to prove capability in guiding children on a path toward higher education, cultural sensitivity, and respect for peers. I believe strongly that to build a relationship with your students, you need to empathize with them and understand their struggles. For the last two years, I have worked as an assistant teacher and childcare provider at a daycare center, often managing the classroom on my own. I have received complimentary feedback from managers, coworkers, and parents on my positive decision-making skills and vigilant supervision and organization, as well as empathetic compassion and nurturing for each child. I know that every child deserves a chance to succeed and prove themselves to society. It does not matter what walk of life they come from, and I want to keep this mindset in my future classroom. As someone who went to a private, Catholic elementary/middle school and later a public high school, I have been able to recognize the societal gap and opportunities some students are given over others. In my classroom, I will hold to the fact that there will be no favoritism. I will ensure equal advantages for all students including those with IEP's, difficult home lives, and financial instability. I also want to be able to be a permanent fixture in lives that may not otherwise have one, allowing students a safe place away from their homes. I firmly believe that I can successfully lead as a caregiver and respectable mentor, and my future career as a teacher will exemplify this ability. As I continue down this career path, I will remember my mindset that every student should be given equal chance, and every student should be addressed with compassion, empathy, and an open mind. As a teacher, you are not just a temporary being- your words and your methods will stick with a student for the rest of their lives. To this day as a senior in high school, I still remember every single teacher I've had by name, and many times I look back on the ways they influenced me and pushed me to become better. My future goal in this profession would be that, someday, I will recognize that I was someone's permanent mentor— I was more to them than "just a teacher".

Growing up in the conservative, religious state of South Dakota, I was able to recognize quickly that as the times changed, my area was not changing alongside them. Sophomore year of high school I got myself involved in Students Against Destructive Decisions and Teens Against Tobacco Use (SADD/TATU). Our sponsor considered me a very active member who helped with events, organizing guest speakers, hosting fundraisers, and sitting on conversation boards such as the Coalition for a Drug-Free South Dakota. When COVID-19 hit and I was planning on transferring to a new school, I wanted to continue my advocacy. During this time I became much more socially aware while demands for justice raged during the 2020 summer, and I understood that I could no longer be silent about things that were important to me. That summer, I began to work under the Chalkback Movement on Instagram (chalkback.org) and created Catcalls of South Dakota. Through street chalk, we raise awareness for queer and sexual harassment along with other social justice topics involving equality. During 2021 summer, a year after my new high school, I founded with a couple of my classmates All Students Welcome (ASW). We have worked to make it an official school club, and its purpose is similar to a Gay-Straight Alliance. Other goals ASW has besides creating an in-school LGBTQ+ community are to create a positive environment in our school surrounding mental health, support, diversity, and inclusivity. I intend to continue my interest in social justice groups and the Chalkback Movement into college, already making plans to continue my Chalkback segment by adding new "chalkers", and getting myself involved with on-campus democracy clubs at the college I want to intend.

Since I was three, I have been promising everyone I have met that I would become a teacher. As someone with an unstable home life in a single-parent household, I would often turn towards teachers to provide something near parental guidance. Now that I am seeking a future in elementary education, I recognize a teacher needs to prove capability in guiding children on a path toward higher education, cultural sensitivity, and respect for peers. I believe strongly that to build a relationship with your students, you need to empathize with them and understand their struggles. For the last two years, I have worked as an assistant teacher and childcare provider at a daycare center, often managing the classroom on my own. I have received complimentary feedback from managers, coworkers, and parents on my positive decision-making skills and vigilant supervision and organization, as well as empathetic compassion and nurturing for each child. I know that every child deserves a chance to succeed and prove themselves to society. It does not matter what walk of life they come from, and I want to keep this mindset in my future classroom. As someone who went to a private, Catholic elementary/middle school and later a public high school, I have been able to recognize the societal gap and opportunities some students are given over others. In my classroom, I will hold to the fact that there will be no favoritism. I will ensure equal advantages for all students including those with IEP's, difficult home lives, and financial instability. I firmly believe that I can successfully lead as a caregiver and respectable mentor, and my future career as a teacher will exemplify this ability. As I continue down this career path, I will remember my mindset that every student should be given equal chance, and every student should be addressed with compassion, empathy, and an open mind. As a teacher, you are not just a temporary being- your words and your methods will stick with a student for the rest of their lives. My future goal in this profession would be that, someday, I will recognize that I was someone's permanent mentor— more than "just a teacher".

Mental health, throughout the past century, has been a very hush-hush topic. As Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, and modern-day society begins to normalize the fact that mental health struggles exist, there is no question that people are being benefited. Openly speaking about mental struggles and the reality of what some may look like, this will help bring about awareness towards the global epidemic that upcoming generations are being faced with. There has been a recent explosion of focus on mental health and mental disorders in media as young adults strive to get rid of the stigma and focus on methods to help, such as healthy coping mechanisms or places to get free, beneficial advice. By removing harmful stigmas, people who need to be treated will feel more inclined to go and remain just as "typical" as any other average person. By focusing on the normalization of struggles, people will be less intimidated to be spotted visiting a therapist, going to a psychiatrist, or addressing their concerns involving their mentality. Removing the taboo around mental health will most likely help thousands who are embarrassed to come forward due to fears of shame, weakness, or in some cases, masculinity. I have struggled with PTSD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Clinical Depression since I was 13. I was terrified to come forward as I had always been viewed as someone who was put together with fantastic grades and sound family life. However, as social media began to support and relate to those with disorders, I prove to be an example of how normalization and educating against ignorance will create ample success stories. By reminding society as a whole that struggles are valid and understandable, more people will recognize the power they have to come forward and help themselves.