My goal is to be a person that can inspire the future students of America. Someone who can share with them accurate history with as minimal bias as possible and allow students to form their own opinions and ideas. I want my future classroom to be a safe space for discussion of all topics even outside of history (if you couldn't tell, I'd like to be a history teacher) where people feel they can come to me for help and support in any way possible. I also want to prepare them for life ahead of schooling, helping them find out what they want to do when it comes to being an adult.

What's most interesting about the community that I grew up in, was that it was more than just one. Coming from Birmingham, Alabama led me to develop a very specific mindset than that of my Oregon community. I dressed differently, spoke differently, treated people differently, and even ate and drank different things. Once I moved to Oregon in the second grade, I immediately began to adapt to a new way of living. I grew out of my redneck southern accent, I changed my morals and beliefs to align more with my own personal Identity, and truly began to be impacted by my community. It was a most prevalent during my junior year of high school. It was my first day of my junior year. I walked into Erick Whitbeck’s AP US History class completely terrified as it was my first AP class, and a challenging one at that. The first week all he did was describe the course. My fears were not reduced in the slightest as it became apparent that we would be cover material at lightning speed, continually working. I wanted to give up and drop the course like half of those registered had already done. I wanted to quit, or at least find an easier option. But instead, I decided to stroll into the classroom and have a one-on-one conversation with the man who would change the path of my whole year, maybe my whole future. Looking back on that first conversation with Mr. Whitbeck I realize that the more we talked, the more my fears finally diminished. He explained to me that the first week was meant to reduce the size of the class, sorting out from the masses those who were really meant to be there. Some people were meant to drop that class, it was the right choice for them. I stayed, and it was the experience of a lifetime. During the next nine months, I grew closer to Mr. Whitbeck. I came to respect and to admire him, but I also came to realize that his passion for the subject matter was slowly but surely becoming my own. I have always enjoyed United States History, as it was taught to me from a very early age. I have fond memories of long discussions about World War II with my uncle on family vacations and of trips to museums and historical sites. Mr. Whitbeck gave the subject new life. I was looking at the same events, but with an entirely different perspective. It was fascinating. The classroom discussions and essays challenged me tremendously, but I responded to the challenge. I was genuinely proud of the work I was not only doing but enjoying. This new academic challenge was coming at just the right time in my life. An injured athlete post knee surgery, I was benched for months. Confined by braces and crutches, I needed a new arena to challenge myself. Mr. Whitbeck’s class delivered. My final paper was meant to be the culmination of all I had learned, not just about history itself but how to think, how to explore history and share it with others. I had almost complete freedom on the topic and chose the opportunity to combine two things I loved, history and sports. After my year with Mr. Whitbeck, I knew just how to approach that topic, and whatever comes next. I also knew without a doubt that I wanted my future to include the opportunity to pass this experience on to other students in the future.

It was my first day of my junior year. I walked into Erick Whitbeck’s AP US History class completely terrified as it was my first AP class, and a challenging one at that. The first week all he did was describe the course. My fears were not reduced in the slightest as it became apparent that we would be cover material at lightning speed, continually working. I wanted to give up and drop the course like half of those registered had already done. I wanted to quit, or at least find an easier option. But instead, I decided to stroll into the classroom and have a one-on-one conversation with the man who would change the path of my whole year, maybe my whole future. Looking back on that first conversation with Mr. Whitbeck I realize that the more we talked, the more my fears finally diminished. He explained to me that the first week was meant to reduce the size of the class, sorting out from the masses those who were really meant to be there. Some people were meant to drop that class, it was the right choice for them. I stayed, and it was the experience of a lifetime. During the next nine months, I grew closer to Mr. Whitbeck. I came to respect and to admire him, but I also came to realize that his passion for the subject matter was slowly but surely becoming my own. I have always enjoyed United States History, as it was taught to me from a very early age. I have fond memories of long discussions about World War II with my uncle on family vacations and of trips to museums and historical sites. Mr. Whitbeck gave the subject new life. I was looking at the same events, but with an entirely different perspective. It was fascinating. The classroom discussions and essays challenged me tremendously, but I responded to the challenge. I was genuinely proud of the work I was not only doing but enjoying. This new academic challenge was coming at just the right time in my life. An injured athlete post knee surgery, I was benched for months. Confined by braces and crutches, I needed a new arena to challenge myself. Mr. Whitbeck’s class delivered. My final paper was meant to be the culmination of all I had learned, not just about history itself but how to think, how to explore history and share it with others. I had almost complete freedom on the topic and chose the opportunity to combine two things I loved, history and sports. I wrote a history of the impact of a legendary coach on college football. After my year with Mr. Whitbeck, I knew just how to approach that topic, and whatever comes next. I also knew without a doubt that I wanted my future to include the opportunity to pass this experience on to other students in the future. I’m proud to start my college education next year in pursuit of a degree in secondary education.

It was my first day of my junior year. I walked into Erick Whitbeck’s AP US History class completely terrified as it was my first AP class, and a challenging one at that. The first week all he did was describe the course. My fears were not reduced in the slightest as it became apparent that we would be cover material at lightning speed, continually working. I wanted to give up and drop the course like half of those registered had already done. I wanted to quit, or at least find an easier option. But instead, I decided to stroll into the classroom and have a one-on-one conversation with the man who would change the path of my whole year, maybe my whole future. Looking back on that first conversation with Mr. Whitbeck I realize that the more we talked, the more my fears finally diminished. He explained to me that the first week was meant to reduce the size of the class, sorting out from the masses those who were really meant to be there. Some people were meant to drop that class, it was the right choice for them. I stayed, and it was the experience of a lifetime. During the next nine months, I grew closer to Mr. Whitbeck. I came to respect and to admire him, but I also came to realize that his passion for the subject matter was slowly but surely becoming my own. I have always enjoyed United States History, as it was taught to me from a very early age. I have fond memories of long discussions about World War II with my uncle on family vacations and of trips to museums and historical sites. Mr. Whitbeck gave the subject new life. I was looking at the same events, but with an entirely different perspective. It was fascinating. The classroom discussions and essays challenged me tremendously, but I responded to the challenge. I was genuinely proud of the work I was not only doing but enjoying. This new academic challenge was coming at just the right time in my life. An injured athlete post knee surgery, I was benched for months. Confined by braces and crutches, I needed a new arena to challenge myself. Mr. Whitbeck’s class delivered. My final paper was meant to be the culmination of all I had learned, not just about history itself but how to think, how to explore history and share it with others. I had almost complete freedom on the topic and chose the opportunity to combine two things I loved, history and sports. I wrote a history of the impact of a legendary coach on college football. After my year with Mr. Whitbeck, I knew just how to approach that topic, and whatever comes next. I also knew without a doubt that I wanted my future to include the opportunity to pass this experience on to other students in the future. I’m proud to start my college education next year in pursuit of a degree in secondary education.

It was my first day of my junior year. I walked into Erick Whitbeck’s AP US History class completely terrified as it was my first AP class, and a challenging one at that. The first week all he did was describe the course. My fears were not reduced in the slightest as it became apparent that we would be cover material at lightning speed, continually working. I wanted to give up and drop the course like half of those registered had already done. I wanted to quit, or at least find an easier option. But instead, I decided to stroll into the classroom and have a one-on-one conversation with the man who would change the path of my whole year, maybe my whole future. Looking back on that first conversation with Mr. Whitbeck I realize that the more we talked, the more my fears finally diminished. He explained to me that the first week was meant to reduce the size of the class, sorting out from the masses those who were really meant to be there. Some people were meant to drop that class, it was the right choice for them. I stayed, and it was the experience of a lifetime. During the next nine months, I grew closer to Mr. Whitbeck. I came to respect and to admire him, but I also came to realize that his passion for the subject matter was slowly but surely becoming my own. I have always enjoyed United States History, as it was taught to me from a very early age. I have fond memories of long discussions about World War II with my uncle on family vacations and of trips to museums and historical sites. Mr. Whitbeck gave the subject new life. I was looking at the same events, but with an entirely different perspective. It was fascinating. The classroom discussions and essays challenged me tremendously, but I responded to the challenge. I was genuinely proud of the work I was not only doing but enjoying. This new academic challenge was coming at just the right time in my life. An injured athlete post knee surgery, I was benched for months. Confined by braces and crutches, I needed a new arena to challenge myself. Mr. Whitbeck’s class delivered. My final paper was meant to be the culmination of all I had learned, not just about history itself but how to think, how to explore history and share it with others. I had almost complete freedom on the topic and chose the opportunity to combine two things I loved, history and sports. I wrote a history of the impact of a legendary coach on college football. After my year with Mr. Whitbeck, I knew just how to approach that topic, and whatever comes next. I also knew without a doubt that I wanted my future to include the opportunity to pass this experience on to other students in the future. I’m proud to start my college education next year in pursuit of a degree in secondary education.

It was my first day of my junior year. I walked into Erick Whitbeck’s AP US History class completely terrified as it was my first AP class, and a challenging one at that. The first week all he did was describe the course. This did not reduce my fear in the slightest as I realized we would be covering material at lightning speed, continually working. I wanted to give up and drop the course like half of the students registered had already done. I wanted to quit, or at least find an easier option. But instead, I decided to stroll into his classroom and have a one-on-one conversation with the man who would change the path of my whole year, maybe my whole academic future. Looking back on that first conversation with Mr. Whitbeck I realize that the more we talk, the more my fears diminished. He explained to me that the first week was meant to reduce the size of the class to those who were really meant to be there. Some people were supposed to drop that class. I stayed, and it was the experience of a lifetime. During the next nine months, I grew closer to Mr. Whitbeck. I came to respect and admired him, but I also came to realize that his passion for the subject matter was slowly but surely becoming my own.  I have always enjoyed United States History, as it was taught to me from a very early age. I have fond memories of long discussions about World War II with my uncle on family vacations and of trips to museums and historical sites. Mr. Whitbeck gave the subject new life. I was looking at the same events, but with an entirely different perspective. It was fascinating. The classroom discussions and essays challenged me tremendously, but I responded to the challenge. I was genuinely proud of the work I was not only doing but enjoying. My final paper was meant to be the culmination of all I had learned, not just about history itself but how to think, how to explore history and share it with others. I had almost complete freedom on the topic and chose the opportunity to combine two things I loved, history and sports. I wrote a history of the impact of a legendary coach on college football. After my year with Mr. Whitbeck, I knew just how to approach that topic, and whatever comes next.