Some of the children I work with may never remember every lesson I teach them, every activity we do, or every word I say. But I hope they remember that I cared about them. That is one of the biggest lessons my faith has taught me about serving others: sometimes, the most meaningful thing you can give someone is the feeling that they matter. At Refuge Temple Ministries, I serve as a youth leader, help with youth activities and service projects, and prepare lessons for children’s church. Being involved in my church has given me opportunities to put my faith into action instead of only talking about what I believe. I get to spend time with children, help them learn, encourage them, and create an environment where they feel welcome. These responsibilities have taught me that serving others is not always about doing something extraordinary. Sometimes, it is showing up consistently, taking the time to listen, or making sure a child does not feel left out. My faith also influences the way I see children who may be going through difficult circumstances. I especially care about those experiencing financial struggles or challenges at home. I know I cannot fix every problem they face, but I can choose how I treat them. I can offer patience when they are having a hard day, encourage them when they feel discouraged, and remind them that what they are going through does not determine their worth. My church has helped me understand that loving others means caring about what happens in their lives, even when no one is watching. That understanding has followed me beyond church. During my kindergarten internship at Hand In Hand Primary School, I discovered how much I loved being part of children’s everyday lives. I looked forward to the classroom celebrations, the dance parties, and the funny things the children would say. When the school year ended, I was surprised by how difficult it was to leave. I missed the children and the little routines we had built together. That goodbye helped me realize that I wanted to spend my career doing work that allowed me to build those kinds of relationships. Now, as a college student studying early childhood education and working at a childcare center with one-year-olds, I am continuing to learn what it means to care for children at different stages of development. Balancing school, work, and other responsibilities is not always easy, but the experiences I gain remind me why I chose this path. My church taught me to serve with compassion, and my work with children continues to show me what that compassion looks like in everyday life. I do not believe I have to wait until I have my degree to serve my community. I am already doing that through my church, my work, and the relationships I build with the children around me. As I continue my education, I want to keep growing into someone who can give children more opportunities, more encouragement, and more reasons to believe in themselves. I may forget some of the activities I plan or the lessons I teach, and the children may forget them, too. But if a child who once sat in my children’s church class or walked into my classroom grows up remembering that somebody made them feel loved, then that time I gave was worth something. That is the kind of service my faith has taught me to value, and it is the kind I want to keep giving, wherever life takes me.

I thought the hardest part of my kindergarten internship would be keeping up with a classroom full of little kids. I was wrong. The hardest part was having to leave them. My internship at Hand In Hand Primary School became one of the happiest parts of my life. I looked forward to the dance parties, the classroom celebrations, the funny things the children would say, and even the ordinary days that I did not realize I would miss so much. I loved watching their personalities shine, helping them learn, and being someone they could count on throughout the school day. Somewhere along the way, those children became more than the students I was assigned to work with. They became a part of my life, and our classroom became a place where I felt like I belonged. When the school year ended, I knew I would miss them, but I was not prepared for just how much. I missed seeing their faces, hearing their little voices, and being part of the routines we had created together. It was difficult to accept that something that had become such a big part of my everyday life was coming to an end. As sad as I was, that experience taught me something important about myself. I did not just enjoy working with children. I wanted to build a life around it. My own childhood is another reason teaching means so much to me. I had a kindergarten co-teacher whom I loved and looked up to. Even now, I understand that the way a teacher treats a child can stay with them long after they leave that classroom. I want my future students to feel safe asking questions, proud of their progress, and comfortable being themselves. I want them to know that someone believes in them, even on the days when they struggle to believe in themselves. I carry that same desire into my church ministry, where I help with children’s activities and prepare lessons for children’s church. I especially care about children who may be dealing with difficult situations at home or financial struggles. Every child deserves encouragement, patience, and a place where they can feel cared for. Working at a childcare center with one-year-olds has also taught me that supporting children starts long before they can explain what they need with words. Sometimes, it means learning their personalities, recognizing their feelings, and showing up for them consistently. All these experiences have helped me understand the kind of teacher I hope to become. I want to teach kindergarten because I love the age, but I also love the opportunity to be part of a child’s beginning: the beginning of their confidence, their curiosity, and their belief in what they can do. My internship ended, but it did not take my purpose with it. If anything, saying goodbye made that purpose clearer. I want to spend my career creating classrooms that children are excited to walk into and that they remember for reasons beyond what they learned from a textbook. One day, I hope a former student remembers my classroom and smiles at a small moment I may not even remember myself. Because I know now that the moments that seem ordinary to a teacher can become some of the most meaningful moments in a child’s life. I want to give my students plenty of those moments.

I do not think making the world a better place always starts with doing something big. Sometimes it starts with noticing a child who needs extra support, taking the time to listen, or making someone feel understood when life outside their control is difficult. Those things may seem small, but they can make a difference in how a person sees themselves. I want to make that kind of difference in my community. Growing up, I did not see many teachers who looked like me. In kindergarten, I had a Black co-teacher who I loved and looked up to. I felt like I could relate to her, even when I was too young to explain why that mattered so much. Looking back, I understand how meaningful it can be to see someone like yourself in a place you hope to be one day. That experience helped shape my desire to become a teacher, but it also influenced the way I want to treat people. I know how important it is to feel understood and included. Giving back is already part of my life through my ministry at church, where I help with children’s activities and prepare lessons for children’s church. I care about children who may be dealing with things other people do not see, whether their families are struggling financially or they are going through difficult situations at home. Children should not have to carry those burdens alone or feel like their circumstances make them less important. I want them to have people in their lives who encourage them, care about them, and remind them that they matter. I also work at a childcare center with one-year-olds. This job has taught me patience and the importance of paying attention to what children need, even when they cannot explain it with words. Between my job, my church ministry, and my past kindergarten internship, I have learned that helping children is about more than teaching them. It is also about building trust and giving them a place where they feel safe and cared for. After college, I plan to teach kindergarten in the public school system and continue serving children and families in my community. I want to encourage my students academically while also helping them build confidence and understand their worth. I also hope to keep serving through my church and finding ways to support families facing challenges. I know I cannot fix every problem a child faces, but I can choose to be someone who cares enough to make an effort. Years from now, I hope I can look back and know that I did more than accomplish my own goals. I helped children feel supported during times when they needed it, and I gave them reasons to believe in themselves. I may never know how much every small act of kindness means to someone, but I want the work I do and the way I treat people to mean something beyond myself.

Some of my favorite memories from working with children are the little things, like dance parties, classroom celebrations, and getting to see each child’s personality. During my kindergarten internship at Hand In Hand Primary School, I realized that I wasn’t just enjoying my time in the classroom. I was getting a glimpse of the future I wanted for myself. My own experience as a student is a big part of why I want to become a teacher. When I was in kindergarten, I had a Black co-teacher who I absolutely loved and looked up to. I felt like I could relate to her, and having someone like her in my classroom meant a lot to me. Growing up, I didn’t see many teachers who looked like me, so having someone I connected with left a lasting impression. As I got older, that became one of the reasons I wanted to become a teacher myself. Being a Black woman, I know what it can feel like to be misunderstood or wish someone understood your point of view. I want my future students, especially children of color, to have a teacher they can relate to and feel comfortable with. I want them to see someone who looks like them standing in front of the classroom and know they belong there, too. I also want every student to feel heard and understood instead of being judged before someone takes the time to know them. My internship at Hand In Hand gave me the chance to experience the other side of that relationship. I helped students with their work, worked with them one-on-one, and got to know them throughout the school year. I loved building relationships with the children and becoming someone they felt comfortable around. That experience showed me how much I wanted to give my future students the same kind of connection that meant so much to me. I currently work with one-year-olds at a childcare center, which has taught me even more about patience and understanding children’s needs. Even though I want to teach kindergarten, working with younger children has shown me how important it is to have adults who encourage them and help them grow. My goal is to become a kindergarten teacher who makes children excited to come to school. I want my classroom to be a place where they can ask questions, make mistakes, laugh, learn, and feel proud of who they are. I know I can’t make every day perfect, but I can make sure my students know that I care about them and believe in them. When I think about the teacher I hope to become, I think about my kindergarten co-teacher and how much I looked up to her. I want to be that person for another child. I am pursuing education because I want to make a difference in children’s lives, not just through what I teach them, but through how I make them feel. If one of my students grows up remembering me as someone who made them feel loved, understood, and capable, I will know I made the kind of difference I always hoped to make.

There are moments in life that don’t seem important until years later. For me, those moments happened in elementary school. When I think back on my childhood, I don’t remember every math lesson or spelling test. What I remember are the teachers who made me feel safe. My first-grade teacher especially changed the way I saw school. She wasn’t the kind of teacher who only cared about grades or getting through the lesson. She noticed when someone was having a hard day, encouraged us when we were struggling, and made every child feel like they belonged in her classroom. As a little girl, I didn’t realize how much that would shape me, but looking back now, I know that’s where my passion for early childhood education began. As I got older, that dream never really changed. Even when people asked what I wanted to be, my answer was always the same. I wanted to work with children. It wasn’t because I thought teaching looked easy or because I liked the idea of decorating a classroom. It was because I wanted to make children feel the same way my teachers made me feel. That dream became real during my senior year when I completed my internship in a kindergarten classroom. I walked in thinking I was there to learn how to teach. Instead, I learned what it really means to change a child’s life. I helped with small groups, centers, morning work, and worked one-on-one with students who needed a little extra help. I watched children walk into school unsure of themselves and leave at the end of the year reading, writing, asking questions, and believing they could do things they once thought were impossible. Watching that growth was something I’ll never forget. My mentor teacher, Mrs. Ashlyn, also changed me. She poured into me the same way she poured into her students. She believed in me when I doubted myself, pushed me through difficult days, and taught me that teaching isn’t just about what happens during a lesson. It’s about the relationships you build. It’s about making children feel safe enough to make mistakes, confident enough to ask questions, and loved enough to know they matter. Outside of school, I serve in my church’s youth ministry, and that has only strengthened my passion even more. I’ve learned that sometimes children don’t need someone to have all the answers. They just need someone who listens, remembers the little things they tell you, encourages them, and keeps showing up. Those moments may seem small, but they stay with a child longer than we realize. That’s why I’m passionate about early childhood education. I don’t just want to teach children how to read or count. I want to be the teacher they remember years later because they felt safe in my classroom. I want to be the person who notices when a child is struggling, celebrates their smallest victories, and reminds them every single day that they are capable of more than they believe. If one child leaves my classroom feeling more confident than they did when they walked in, then I’ll know I’ve done exactly what I was called to do.