I am a high school Senior at Spring Valley High school in Huntington, WV. Right before my Junior year I decided I wanted to be a teacher and give back and teach in my small rural county. Much to my surprise the legislature in West Virginia had just implemented a new program and my high school was participating in it. The program, Grow Your Own, is to help students achieve their dreams of wanting to become teachers and get them started in the process starting their junior year of high school. So during my junior year I was able to start taking college level classes to count towards my degree in becoming a teacher. I have had many opportunities to engage with students in the classroom which is a great advantage because that normally wouldn't have occurred until my student teaching placement my last year in college. The program not only solidified my decision to become a teacher but piqued my interest in kindergarten especially. I have found I really enjoy child development, psychology, and early learning childhood milestones. I want to stay in my rural community and teach in the same place where I was raised in order to give back and my community a better place to live and raise kids. I am a preschool Sunday school teacher at my church. I enjoy being around the young children and talking and teaching them. I was raised in church and I love being able to give back to my church family. I have volunteered at many church functions as well. In the fall we always have a back to school bash where we invited the entire community to join us. This past year my mom and I made snow cones to hand out to everyone. It was great seeing the community come out and everyone playing and enjoying the nice sunny weather. During Halloween I volunteer to do Trunk or Treat. I decorate a station and pass out candy and get to talk to all the kids that come through. I enjoy this because I usually dress up as a character that most kids recognize. Last year I dressed up as Tinkerbell and would ask the kids if they had seen Peter Pan or Wendy. I volunteer at my local elementary school for Read to Me Day. I read a fantastic children's book called The Interrupting Chicken. I used lots of different voices to do the characters in the book. The kids really enjoyed and the teacher sent me to another room to read since she thought I did such a great job. It really gave me confidence in my ability to read to kids. With all of these experiences and hopefully many more to come, I have a very strong desire to teach kindergarten. I believe I can make a strong influence in both my school and community. I am excited to pursue my career as an educator and hopefully influence the next generation of teachers as well.

I am a high school Senior at Spring Valley High school in Huntington, WV. Right before my Junior year I decided I wanted to be a teacher and give back and teach in my small rural county. Much to my surprise the legislature in West Virginia had just implemented a new program and my high school was participating in it. The program, Grow Your Own, is to help students achieve their dreams of wanting to become teachers and get them started in the process starting their junior year of high school. So during my junior year I was able to start taking college level classes to count towards my degree in becoming a teacher. I have had many opportunities to engage with students in the classroom which is a great advantage because that normally wouldn't have occurred until my student teaching placement my last year in college. The program not only solidified my decision to become a teacher but piqued my interest in kindergarten especially. I have found I really enjoy child development, psychology, and early learning childhood milestones. I want to stay in my rural community and teach in the same place where I was raised in order to give back and my community a better place to live and raise kids. I am a preschool Sunday school teacher at my church. I enjoy being around the young children and talking and teaching them. I was raised in church and I love being able to give back to my church family. I have volunteered at many church functions as well. In the fall we always have a back to school bash where we invited the entire community to join us. This past year my mom and I made snow cones to hand out to everyone. It was great seeing the community come out and everyone playing and enjoying the nice sunny weather. During Halloween I volunteer to do Trunk or Treat. I decorate a station and pass out candy and get to talk to all the kids that come through. I enjoy this because I usually dress up as a character that most kids recognize. Last year I dressed up as Tinkerbell and would ask the kids if they had seen Peter Pan or Wendy. I volunteer at my local elementary school for Read to Me Day. I read a fantastic children's book called The Interrupting Chicken. I used lots of different voices to do the characters in the book. The kids really enjoyed and the teacher sent me to another room to read since she thought I did such a great job. It really gave me confidence in my ability to read to kids. With all of these experiences and hopefully many more to come, I have a very strong desire to teach kindergarten. I believe I can make a strong influence in both my school and community. I am excited to pursue my career as an educator and hopefully influence the next generation of teachers as well.

I am a high school Senior at Spring Valley High school in Huntington, WV. Right before my Junior year I decided I wanted to be a teacher and give back and teach in my small rural county. Much to my surprise the legislature in West Virginia had just implemented a new program and my high school was participating in it. The program, Grow Your Own, is to help students achieve their dreams of wanting to become teachers and get them started in the process starting their junior year of high school. So during my junior year I was able to start taking college level classes to count towards my degree in becoming a teacher. I have had many opportunities to engage with students in the classroom which is a great advantage because that normally wouldn't have occurred until my student teaching placement my last year in college. It not only solidified my decision to become a teacher but piqued my interest in kindergarten. I have found I really enjoy child development, psychology, and early learning milestones. I want to stay in my rural community and teach in the same place where I was raised in order to give back and my community a better place to live and raise kids. I am a preschool Sunday school teacher at my church. I enjoy being around the young children and talking and teaching them. I was raised in church and I love being able to give back to my church family. I have volunteered at many church functions as well. In the fall we always have a back to school bash where we invited the entire community to join us. This past year my mom and I made snow cones to hand out to everyone. It was great seeing the community come out and everyone playing and enjoying the nice sunny weather. During Halloween I volunteer to do Trunk or Treat. I decorate a station and pass out candy and get to talk to all the kids that come through. I enjoy this because I usually dress up as a character that most kids recognize. Last year I dressed up as Tinkerbell and would ask the kids if they had seen Peter Pan or Wendy. I volunteer at my local elementary school for Read to Me Day. I read a fantastic children's book called The Interrupting Chicken. I used lots of different voices to do the characters in the book. The kids really enjoyed and the teacher sent me to another room to read since she thought I did such a great job. It really gave me confidence in my ability to read to kids. With all of these experiences and hopefully many more to come, I have a very strong desire to teach kindergarten. I believe I can make a strong influence in both my school and community. I am excited to pursue my career as an educator and hopefully influence the next generation of teachers as well.

There are many aspects as a West Virginian I could touch on that I love. Some of my favorite things about West Virginia are the pepperoni rolls, beautiful scenery, nature trails, waterfalls, small towns, and the culture. The one thing that sticks out to me the most about West Virginia by far though is the people. They are literally found nowhere else in the world. They are the backbone of a community when it's in need. They always show their strong support and dedication to the people they know and care about. The people shape the very foundation of the lives around them. In West Virginia you are never far from someone to call your family or friend. When I got on vacation it is the people back home I miss most. It's not just the family and friends I miss but it's the way people treat you. Here in West Virginia when you pass someone at the very least you give them a smile or a way. Most of the time however, you say good morning or how are you. It is these short bursts of greetings that I miss when not in town. The smiles are also not usually present when you travel very far out of this region. So when I do get the chance to travel I let people know where I am from and how wonderful our state is. I tell them about our food, our scenery, our new National Park designation, and about the wonderful people that live there. Most people not from here enjoy hearing our accent or "twang" that comes naturally living among the Appalachian Mountains. Due to West Virginians having such strong family roots you can usually find people with very large extended families that live close by. You are never truly on your own. You can call and ask about a recipe or about school events and someone always has an answer for you. There is always someone willing to lend a helping hand. It is the place where people open doors for one another and still say please and thank you. In our small part of the world its believable that there is good left in people. West Virginians, I feel, show that better than anyone in the world. The song by John Denver, Take Me Home Country Roads, is the epitome of the beautiful sights and sounds of West Virginia told through music. It's a song known for its lyrics being sung football stadiums and karaoke nights both. I believe if someone can come to love that song for the illustrations of the views of this "Almost Heaven" state then they will be blown away by the wonderful people that inhabit it. West Virginians truly are in the place they belong. Mountain Mama take me home.

I am a high school Senior at Spring Valley High school in Huntington, WV. Right before my Junior year I decided I wanted to be a teacher and give back and teach in my small rural county. Much to my surprise the legislature in West Virginia had just implemented a new program and my high school was participating in it. The program, Grow Your Own, is to help students achieve their dreams of wanting to become teachers and get them started in the process starting their junior year of high school. So during my junior year I was able to start taking college level classes to count towards my degree in becoming a teacher. I have had many opportunities to engage with students in the classroom which is a great advantage because that normally wouldn't have occurred until my student teaching placement my last year in college. The program not only solidified my decision to become a teacher but piqued my interest in kindergarten especially. I have found I really enjoy child development, psychology, and early learning childhood milestones. I want to stay in my rural community and teach in the same place where I was raised in order to give back and my community a better place to live and raise kids. I am a preschool Sunday school teacher at my church. I enjoy being around the young children and talking and teaching them. I was raised in church and I love being able to give back to my church family. I have volunteered at many church functions as well. In the fall we always have a back to school bash where we invited the entire community to join us. This past year my mom and I made snow cones to hand out to everyone. It was great seeing the community come out and everyone playing and enjoying the nice sunny weather. During Halloween I volunteer to do Trunk or Treat. I decorate a station and pass out candy and get to talk to all the kids that come through. I enjoy this because I usually dress up as a character that most kids recognize. Last year I dressed up as Tinkerbell and would ask the kids if they had seen Peter Pan or Wendy. I volunteer at my local elementary school for Read to Me Day. I read a fantastic children's book called The Interrupting Chicken. I used lots of different voices to do the characters in the book. The kids really enjoyed and the teacher sent me to another room to read since she thought I did such a great job. It really gave me confidence in my ability to read to kids. With all of these experiences and hopefully many more to come, I have a very strong desire to teach kindergarten. I believe I can make a strong influence in both my school and community. I am excited to pursue my career as an educator and hopefully influence the next generation of teachers as well.

I am a high school Senior at Spring Valley High school in Huntington, WV. Right before my Junior year I decided I wanted to be a teacher and give back and teach in my small rural county. Much to my surprise the legislature in West Virginia had just implemented a new program and my high school was participating in it. The program, Grow Your Own, is to help students achieve their dreams of wanting to become teachers and get them started in the process starting their junior year of high school. So during my junior year I was able to start taking college level classes to count towards my degree in becoming a teacher. I have had many opportunities to engage with students in the classroom which is a great advantage because that normally wouldn't have occurred until my student teaching placement my last year in college. The program not only solidified my decision to become a teacher but piqued my interest in kindergarten especially. I have found I really enjoy child development, psychology, and early learning childhood milestones. I want to stay in my rural community and teach in the same place where I was raised in order to give back and my community a better place to live and raise kids. I volunteer at my local elementary school for Read to Me Day. I read a fantastic children's book called The Interrupting Chicken. I used lots of different voices to do the characters in the book. The kids really enjoyed and the teacher sent me to another room to read since she thought I did such a great job. It really gave me confidence in my ability to read to kids. I want to show children that you can be goofy and have fun while still learning. With all of these experiences and hopefully many more to come, I have a very strong desire to teach kindergarten. I believe I can make a strong influence in both my school and community. I am excited to pursue my career as an educator and hopefully influence the next generation of teachers as well.

I have been raised by a teacher and nurse. I truly can not stand the sight of someone in pain much less the sight of blood therefore I knew very early on I couldn't and wouldn't follow in my mother's footsteps. I initially thought I would own my own bakery. My parents set me up with a photographer that owned his own business. I quickly learned that this photographer didn't get any paid time off, summers off, and had to purchase his own insurance which was expensive. My aunts and grandma are all teachers and I have seen the great family life they have been able to give their children and it's definitely helped me choose my career path. I am a high school Senior at Spring Valley High school in Huntington, WV. Right before my Junior year I decided I wanted to be a teacher and give back and teach in my small rural county. Much to my surprise the legislature in West Virginia had just implemented a new program and my high school was participating in it. The program, Grow Your Own, is to help students achieve their dreams of wanting to become teachers and get them started in the process starting their junior year of high school. So during my junior year I was able to start taking college level classes to count towards my degree in becoming a teacher. I have had many opportunities to engage with students in the classroom which is a great advantage because that normally wouldn't have occurred until my student teaching placement my last year in college. It not only solidified my decision to become a teacher but piqued my interest in kindergarten. I have found I really enjoy child development, psychology, and early learning milestones. I want to stay in my rural community and teach in the same place where I was raised in order to give back and my community a better place to live and raise kids. I am a preschool Sunday school teacher at my church. I enjoy being around the young children and talking and teaching them. I was raised in church and I love being able to give back to my church family. I have volunteered at many church functions as well. In the fall we always have a back to school bash where we invited the entire community to join us. This past year my mom and I made snow cones to hand out to everyone. It was great seeing the community come out and everyone playing and enjoying the nice sunny weather. During Halloween I volunteer to do Trunk or Treat. I decorate a station and pass out candy and get to talk to all the kids that come through. I enjoy this because I usually dress up as a character that most kids recognize. Last year I dressed up as Tinkerbell and would ask the kids if they had seen Peter Pan or Wendy. I volunteer at my local elementary school for Read to Me Day. I read a fantastic children's book called The Interrupting Chicken. I used lots of different voices to do the characters in the book. The kids really enjoyed and the teacher sent me to another room to read since she thought I did such a great job. It really gave me confidence in my ability to read. With all of these experiences and hopefully many more to come, I have a very strong desire to teach kindergarten. I am excited to pursue my career as an educator and hopefully influence the next generation of teachers as well.

I am a high school Senior at Spring Valley High school in Huntington, WV. Right before my Junior year I decided I wanted to be a teacher and give back and teach in my small rural county. Much to my surprise the legislature in West Virginia had just implemented a new program and my high school was participating in it. The program, Grow Your Own, is to help students achieve their dreams of wanting to become teachers and get them started in the process starting their junior year of high school. So during my junior year I was able to start taking college level classes to count towards my degree in becoming a teacher. I have had many opportunities to engage with students in the classroom which is a great advantage because that normally wouldn't have occurred until my student teaching placement my last year in college. The program not only solidified my decision to become a teacher but piqued my interest in kindergarten especially. I have found I really enjoy child development, psychology, and early learning childhood milestones. I want to stay in my rural community and teach in the same place where I was raised in order to give back and my community a better place to live and raise kids. I am a preschool Sunday school teacher at my church. I enjoy being around the young children and talking and teaching them. I was raised in church and I love being able to give back to my church family. I have volunteered at many church functions as well. In the fall we always have a back to school bash where we invited the entire community to join us. This past year my mom and I made snow cones to hand out to everyone. It was great seeing the community come out and everyone playing and enjoying the nice sunny weather. During Halloween I volunteer to do Trunk or Treat. I decorate a station and pass out candy and get to talk to all the kids that come through. I enjoy this because I usually dress up as a character that most kids recognize. Last year I dressed up as Tinkerbell and would ask the kids if they had seen Peter Pan or Wendy. I volunteer at my local elementary school for Read to Me Day. I read a fantastic children's book called The Interrupting Chicken. I used lots of different voices to do the characters in the book. The kids really enjoyed and the teacher sent me to another room to read since she thought I did such a great job. It really gave me confidence in my ability to read to kids. With all of these experiences and hopefully many more to come, I have a very strong desire to teach kindergarten. I believe I can make a strong influence in both my school and community. I am excited to pursue my career as an educator and hopefully influence the next generation of teachers as well.

I am a high school Senior at Spring Valley High school in Huntington, WV. Right before my Junior year I decided I wanted to be a teacher and give back and teach in my small rural county. Much to my surprise the legislature in West Virginia had just implemented a new program and my high school was participating in it. The program, Grow Your Own, is to help students achieve their dreams of wanting to become teachers and get them started in the process starting their junior year of high school. So during my junior year I was able to start taking college level classes to count towards my degree in becoming a teacher. I have had many opportunities to engage with students in the classroom which is a great advantage because that normally wouldn't have occurred until my student teaching placement my last year in college. The program not only solidified my decision to become a teacher but piqued my interest in kindergarten especially. I have found I really enjoy child development, psychology, and early learning childhood milestones. I want to stay in my rural community and teach in the same place where I was raised in order to give back and my community a better place to live and raise kids. I am a preschool Sunday school teacher at my church. I enjoy being around the young children and talking and teaching them. I was raised in church and I love being able to give back to my church family. I have volunteered at many church functions as well. In the fall we always have a back to school bash where we invited the entire community to join us. This past year my mom and I made snow cones to hand out to everyone. It was great seeing the community come out and everyone playing and enjoying the nice sunny weather. During Halloween I volunteer to do Trunk or Treat. I decorate a station and pass out candy and get to talk to all the kids that come through. I enjoy this because I usually dress up as a character that most kids recognize. Last year I dressed up as Tinkerbell and would ask the kids if they had seen Peter Pan or Wendy. I volunteer at my local elementary school for Read to Me Day. I read a fantastic children's book called The Interrupting Chicken. I used lots of different voices to do the characters in the book. The kids really enjoyed and the teacher sent me to another room to read since she thought I did such a great job. It really gave me confidence in my ability to read to kids. With all of these experiences and hopefully many more to come, I have a very strong desire to teach kindergarten. I believe I can make a strong influence in both my school and community. I am excited to pursue my career as an educator and hopefully influence the next generation of teachers as well.

What does it mean to be a good teammate? I get this question quite a lot. Being a good teammate means you will do anything that your team needs no matter how hard it might be. A good teammate will never turn their back on their team: their family. I have seen teammates go against their team and you can see how it really affects everyone. A good teammate will stand up for their team and will be there when you really need them. You will make sacrifices and never leave your teammates side when their in need. When you have this type of team that you are willing to do any of these things for you have an important team in your life. I have been on many different teams in my life such as softball, basketball, soccer, and volleyball. Yet, the most important team I have been on has been the Spring Valley High School Swim team. This swim team is my second family. We have spent countless hours in the pool and have swam thousands of yards together. Many things have happened in our lives during this season and we are all there for each other. I have had the same coaches on this team for the past four years. They have seen my skills improve yet still continue to push me daily to get better. Not only has my team taught me valuable lessons, but so has the sport. When you are in the pool you realize how hard you have to push yourself to succeed and beat your previous time. It is a constant mental battle every time. When I had my first meet as a freshman competing against more experienced seniors I was absolutely terrified. I was so scared the first thing I did and the only thing I could do was to pray. So now before entering the water on any event I pray. It helps me to realize that I am not alone. It helps to center me and to make my legs quit shaking. During my first event at regionals, this year, my relay team suggested we pray before we dove in to try and beat our previous time and hopefully have a spot at going to the state tournament. So, in front of over three hundred people we circled around eat other and put our hands on top of each others swim caps and prayed. Not only did we pray but we prayed out loud, which was great because I knew I not only had my family around me but other children of God by my side no matter the outcome. We had teams finish strong enough to head to Morgantown to the state tournament. I was asked by my coaches to be the alternate on the 400 yard freestyle relay and the 200 yard freestyle relay at the state tournament. It was an easy yes for me. I had swam those relays all season and I was really bothered when I got pulled off of them for the potential that the coaches saw in another swimmer. I wouldn't be a good teammate if I chose to be bitter about not being about to swim at the state tournament or thought I got cheated out of a spot. So instead I choose to be their biggest fan and cheerleader but also their insurance policy as an alternate. I feel like my job as their teammate now is to encourage them and pray for them.

I am a great leader because I'm a great listener. I hold a couple of positions within my school that allow me to listen to other students' suggestions and respond to them. One of these is being on the yearbook staff. If the students don't like the yearbook they won't purchase them therefore it is in everyone's best interest to get some ideas and feedback from the students before the final yearbook is sent off for printing. I'm also a great leader because I'm a great friend. I encourage my friends to tell me about their struggles and their accomplishments so that I can cheer them on or give them words of encouragement. My friends are very special to me and have helped me show how being a great friend to them can influence me to be a great leader. Great leaders show they care and have compassion about issues and problems. The same is true when I talk to my friends about their day or weekend. Another great leadership quality I possess is having tons of school spirit. I recently did my senior pictures with my school mascot and dressed all in school colors to show the love and excitement I have for my school. Currently walking in fields of flowers is the "cool" picture to have however I want to show my school, friends, and community that this school matters to me and hopefully persuade other students to do photo shoots similar to mine. I want to lead by example and show other students that you can have the perfect shot even if it's on your high school football field wearing your school colors. My school spirit has been engrained in me at such a young age. My mother graduated from my high school and my dad is currently the head football coach. We attend loads of sporting events and always wear the school colors in support of our team. Being a leader means doing things you want others to emulate. I could not yell and cheer or wear my school colors but I want more school spirit in the halls so I choose to do it this way. My final attribute that makes me a great leader is my drive. I had a season-ending knee injury in softball during my freshman year of high school. The surgery was long but the rehabilitation was several months long. After much thought, I decided to finish out my senior year by returning to the softball field to finish everything I had started. For me, this is much bigger than sports. This was a life decision and one that I'm sure I will lean on in the future to remind me that even when hard things happen there is always my drive to help me overcome it. I believe all of these things make me a great leader both now and in the future.