Everyone needs an adult they are able to come to and just be able to talk and let go to. That was and still is my AVID teacher, her name is Tracy Catlin. I’ve had her class since freshman year and in the beginning I wasn’t the biggest fan, however when the year went on she rubbed off on me. Telling me how to prepare for college and how to organize. I’ve never had anybody in my life who went to college so hearing her talk about college life, I started being drawn to her help. Then COVID happened and nobody was sure what to do. However, Mrs. Catlin had set up calls with our AVID class to make sure we were all okay and doing well. It was a welcomed feeling having somebody from the outside care and worry about your well-being. We then had online school where she would do her best to keep us all feeling included and did her best to give us a normal class experience at home. However it really started junior year that she helped me out. My parents got divorced, my brother kept going in and out of jail and my eldest brother was away. All my family was falling apart and the only person I felt I could go to was her. She let me cry and rant to and she would give me advice that I would cling onto like how it’s not my fault I got pushed into adult business and what they were doing was not my fault. She helped me cope through when all I wanted to do was sleep and not come to school. She kept me going and held me accountable. Then senior year started, I was nervous cause I had her English class and I never knew how she would work in a core class. However, this was the best thing for me because she helped me understand things other teachers struggled to show me. She kept me on my head and helped me hold my grades high. She was a mother figure when my family was falling apart and one of the first people I would go to when I needed a shoulder to cry on. I am so grateful for a teacher who cares not just about my grades but also how I’m doing and how what she could do to help.

Live to work or work to live has been in my mind since I started working at the age of sixteen. I started working during the month of July 2021 and I’m still working albeit at a different job however. Throughout the time I’ve been helping my family get by and able to save for college and save some for myself. I am Chloe Torkelson and currently a Senior at Wichita High School Southeast. I am wanting to go into education to be a teacher. I want to be able to teach all three levels, however to start I’d like to work with elementary kids. I grew an interest because I volunteer quite a bit and see how children struggle in run down homes and barely get by. I realized I would like to be an adult a child can come to and be able to just be a kid for a little while longer and see me as an adult they can trust. I have been lower income since I was little, however I always felt lucky having been feed, toys and a warm house because my parents worked 40-60 hours a week to help keep my family going. I was blessed to have good Christmases, a few gifts and a good meal. I overhead a couple crying about how they couldn’t afford to get their kids gifts. I knew I could help out families and make a few families have a better Christmas. During COVID I decided to raise money from my own funds and a few friends to help buy toys for children in a run down motel. There were twelve of kids from two to seventeen. We asked everyone their interests and what they would like. Kids twelve and under we got four to five gifts depending on size and price. The Teens we gave a blanket, a stuffed animal and gift card to Walmart so they are able to get the specific things they want. That was my most impactful service I have ever done, however I have done many other volunteer work. My dad and I went out and gave toiletry bags to the homeless. There were reusable bags with a few items in each. I had asked to do this instead of having a birthday party for my sixteenth. I’ve saved up the money I worked for to help others, because I understood to a limit what they were going through having to worry about your next payment. So the scholarship will help my goals to able to help students in my career to have an adult they can trust.

Connections and relationships in schools have always been hard to develop, at least for me. I fell into a rut because I couldn't seem to get close to the teachers or get even grab their attention. It was hard for me to understand since I was only in 4th grade. As I grew older I realized I didn't want for any kid to feel like that, especially since school is supposed to be a safe space. I'd like to let the students know they shouldn't be afraid to ask me anything. That just because I'm the authority figure they don't need to be scared of me or nervous about anything. Being close to your kids is what brings them to want to strive for more; they know if they mess up they won't get humiliated or embarrassed but encouraged to try again. Kids reflect on how and what the adults say and do, it's important to always be positive and lift the kids up. I think also having fun projects where the kids grow closer connections with each other because they are the ones who will graduate together; I am just a guide to help them.