I am from fluffy Dandelions, from bright parade balloons. I am from rusty swing sets, and Mama's peaceful perfume that reminds me of Nannie. I am from sharp wood chips and soggy mud pies that would bake in the sun all afternoon. I am from salty play-doh and Justin Timberlake, from Cranberry Juice and Teletubbies. I am from sizzling hot curling irons, from homemade Hershey's chocolate milk. I am from angry yelling and Nickelodeon, from Kidz Bop and popping fires in the fire pit. I am from women of steel, and crafty creations, Beany Babies, and gum balls. These things have shaped me into the person I want to be and the woman I will become.

As humans, our natural instinct is to help others when we see that they are struggling. There is kindness in all of us. Naturally, we want to help those in need. If that is the case, then why do people blatantly ignore a homeless person on the side of the road? Why do we choose to not see them? In my community, I've seen a lot of this. People's excuses tend to be, “Well, if I give them money, they'll probably spend it on drugs or alcohol” or “They are completely capable of getting a job.” Those excuses make sense, but once you actually think about it, they are just excuses to justify their own laziness and unwillingness to acknowledge the problem. Homelessness is a big issue in all communities. It is a nationwide problem and a subject that I believe to be very important. People do not just wake up and decide to be homeless one day. There are always circumstances that cause homelessness like loss of a job, a fire or mental health issues to name a few. Homeless people just want to be seen. If the people in my community would go just as far as to acknowledge and offer a kind word to the homeless people we see on the street, it would make a world of difference. A lot of people are homeless due to unforeseen circumstances and by no fault of their own. As such, they lack the bare necessities every human needs to survive - food, water, clothing, shelter and even positive reinforcement. We have local food drives for people who are struggling which is amazing but I would love to see more community involvement in the form of acknowledgment and acceptance of the problem. A community offering support, not just in the form of supplies but also offering a welcoming handshake or warm hug, a kind or encouraging word, a listening ear or a hot meal in good company. Hopelessness is just as damaging as homelessness. We are on the right track with the food drives but it's just not enough. I believe a good way to unite the homeless people and residents in our communities would be to have a day of free entertainment and fellowship, pik-a-niks (free food) and grab bags with hygiene products and goods. Not only will this make them feel seen and heard, but it will give them a positive memory to look back on and perhaps provide the encouragement they need to “keep going”. Maybe it will inspire them to change directions, turn their lives around, lose those feelings of hopelessness and make some life long friends in the process. Our communities would certainly be a more loving and accepting place, offering support to everyone, homeless or not. Everyone needs a bit of kindness to inspire them to do something extraordinary. We can do better by ALL of our people.

Music has always been a passion of mine and for as long as I can remember I have wanted my future to include the creating, conducting and singing of music. Throughout my life my music directors and vocal coaches have always inspired me in a way that is quite special. Such music instructors have trained me in technique and musicianship but more importantly, I learned that I want to teach music. Teachers have a gift like no other. They have the ability to inspire everyone they touch. Music, by its very nature, is personal and evokes an emotional response from teacher, student, performer, and listener. Great teachers not only supply the educational principles necessary to teach the subject, but they reach the student on many levels, from knowledge and understanding to joy. I, myself, would not be pursuing a degree in Music Education if it were not for the incredible support and encouragement from performing arts teachers that have inspired me throughout my life. I want to be a motivated choir director, creating exciting opportunities for my future students. A choir director who makes rehearsals enjoyable and always aspires to improve. Music has given me amazing mentors who have helped mold me as a person, friends who I share genuine, emotional experiences with, and it has given me an outlet for personal self expression. I want to encourage that connection for others. I feel all children should be give the opportunity to reach their full music potential. To learn, create, perform and enjoy music. One such idea is to provide an after school program where musical services would be offered such as beginning, intermediate and advanced instrumental and vocal group instruction, private lessons, theory classes, ensembles and musical theater. Students can attend free vocal lessons, brush up on their sight reading skills, learn a new instrument or just enjoy listening and learning about all types of music. I would enlist volunteers in the areas of orchestra, band and choral including upperclassmen who excel in the arts that would be willing to help teach . This would provide a safe place to create, produce and learn music through creative expression. Students of all abilities would be welcomed . The goal would be to educate, advocate, inspire and share through music study and performances we are all tied together by a shared enthusiasm for music. Participation in the program will contribute to creativity through self expression as well as stimulate personal and educational growth through music. I aim to ensure success for all students while respecting their personal interests, abilities and ethnic backgrounds, to use motivation and positive influence and to portray professionalism in all aspects of the profession. I want to be an inspirational teacher that will not only convey knowledge but also find a way to connect with and inspire each of my students. It will be no small challenge, but I am ready for it. My ultimate goal is to end up a skillful musician, as well as an artistic teacher, a creative thinker, an excellent communicator and musical role model.

From an early age my mom told me that I would need to develop a “thick skin” because kids are mean. They will find something to “pick on me for” and I needed to be prepared for that. That there is hate in every community. At seven years old, I had no idea there was anything wrong with me until I started hearing words like, “obese, pig, fatty”. Those words really put a lot of self doubt in my young, impressionable mind. I felt so hurt, humiliated, unsure and just “less than”. Despite coming from a long line of strong women, I was, and still am, constantly hurt by other people’s words, whether directly or indirectly. My upbringing was pretty much picture perfect. While I did not always get everything I wanted, I always had everything I needed. My parents divorced at a young age and my mother raised my sister and I as a single mom, as did her mom. She had a great role model and has given us a wonderful, supportive home life. Even though our little family had it’s own personal struggles, within my community, I struggled personally with bullying. In second grade, I would ride in a small van over to the day care I went to after school. There was a particular Friday that I missed the van so I had to ride the bus to my daycare. When I got on the shuttle bus, I looked and looked for a seat in the front but there wasn’t one. I had to find a seat in the back where the older high school kids sat. When I got to the back, I hesitantly asked, “Is there a seat for me to sit in?” One really tall, skinny guy gave me a dirty look and mocked my high pitched voice, “I don’t think there are any seats open for obese 10 year olds.” I had no idea what that meant. I put my head down and walked even further back and just sat down in a random spot. Immediately, the much older high school kids began to make fun of my Dora the Explorer back pack. They called me names like, “fatty” and “little piglet”. I was picked on for my shirt as well. They told me that it was too tight and would point out that my hair needed to be brushed. I could feel the tears burning the back of my eyes. All I could think is, “don’t let them see you cry. They will pick on you and be mean. Be strong, like Mama” but my tender heart couldn’t take the hurtful words. The bus arrived at my daycare and I quickly stood to my feet and wiped the slow moving tears from my face. The older kids saw me wipe them away. “Awe...you poor little fat ass. Don’t run! Oh wait, you can’t, you’re too heavy!” I ran off that bus as fast as I could. The tears were coming full force now. I sobbed in my teacher’s arms and though she asked me what was wrong, I couldn’t catch a breathe from crying so hard. I will never forget that day. That day made me extremely self conscious of what I wear and the way I look. That day is where all of my insecurities came from. That day was a seed in what is now a flourishing garden of insecurities. As much as my bloodline, upbringing and hereditary traits have molded me into who I am, so has bullying, unfortunately and fortunately! My experience with bullying has taught me that there is NOTHING wrong with me. It has taught me to embrace all of the quirky things about myself. My unique fashion sense, my eclectic taste in music, my addictive personality and my compassionate heart. It taught me to be strong, upstanding, outspoken and passionate. It has created within me a forever advocate against bullying in all forms. It has given me a thick skin.

When I was in Junior High, my academics qualified me for induction into the National Junior Honor Society. I was involved in several community service projects and fund raisers for several organizations, including The Angel Tree Project and the Ronald McDonald House in Corpus Christie, Texas. In the interest of giving, I became aware of several teachers and/or students that were suffering in some way or another at my school. For example, my yearbook teacher lost her dad to a heart attack just weeks before school started and my history teacher lost her dad to lung cancer. I can vividly remember my choir director being away for weeks at a time because her older sister had precious time left due to an illness. So one day during athletics, I came up with a brilliant idea to support our suffering teachers and/or students. As soon as the bell rang for my next class, I ran down the hall to the National Junior Honor Society sponsor’s classroom and told her about this new project idea I came up with. I told her I was aware of several people who were grieving and suffering within our school and how they could use a little sunshine in their lives. My project is named just that - The Sunshine Project. This project enlisted help from other National Junior Honor Society members, local schools within the district and the community to donate yellow items to fill a “Sunshine Basket”. Items such as candles, key chains, hand soaps, peanut M&M’s, silk flowers, gift cards and basically anything yellow in color were used to create Sunshine Baskets with an attached personalized card for each recipient. The National Junior Honor Society, as an organization, then delivered the basket to the teacher/student of the week who needed it the most. During the National Junior Honor Society end of year banquet, I was honored with a plaque recognizing my leadership within the Sunshine Project. The Sunshine Project was very successful and carried over into my high school career as I also introduced it to my Student Leadership class as well. The Sunshine Project was a stepping stone for other leadership opportunities for me. I co-founded a project called The Coffee Cart project which helped raise money for the Structured Learning students at Hallsville High School. With the funds from the Coffee Cart project we were able to provide Christmas presents to the kids as well as a field trip to World of Wonders Museum and lunch at Cici’s Pizza afterwards. It was an extremely fulfilling and rewarding experience and only fueled my interest in participating in more leadership opportunities involving giving back to others. The purpose of the Sunshine Project was not to fulfill any personal gain of my own but rather to encourage others to spread kindness. Kindness has many benefits including increased happiness and a healthy heart. Imagine how a few sincere acts of kindness could change a person, spread to others, and change the world! It is the ultimate gift.