When I went into the education program at the local career center, I knew I was doing it because I wanted to become an English professor, to teach the subject I love best to people who would be old enough and wise enough to understand it. I was very excited. At the last minute I also enrolled in a LINKS program, where I would be expected to engage with and help students my age who were in special education. I was interested, but also someone nervous because I didn’t know anything about special education or the students I was expected to interact with. I enjoyed it. It admittedly wasn’t my favorite class, but I enjoyed it enough that when the time came around for me to go on a field placement, I asked to be placed in a special education class. I packed my bag and prepare as much as I could, considering I knew nothing about the class I was going into. The day came, and after a few minutes of wandering around my placement school, I found it. Miss Cassie Inman’s class was for moderately cognitively impaired middle school students on the autism spectrum. There were nine students in the class, as well as two other teaching aids. And tentatively, I entered the class, introduced myself, and begin to teach. The longer I was there, the more I felt like I could do. Every day was a different kind of challenge, and I had to figure things out on my own. The teacher rarely told me what to do, so I gave myself extra work doing anything I could. After a little while I actually began to look forward to the time I would spend at placement. I got to know each student individually, where they were at intellectually, socially and academically, as well as what they were like as people. I learned how to communicate with the nonverbal students and how to calm the temperamental students. I began to connect in ways I never had with my other students, and I began to rethink my original plan of becoming a professor. What I didn’t realize at the beginning of the year was if people were “old enough and wise enough” to understand everything that I was already teaching them, I wasn’t teaching. I wanted to watch my students grow individually, and if they didn’t understand something at first, that’s why I was there. I found a career I could reasonably do and that I would genuinely enjoy doing. There’s a saying that goes “People won’t think of pink elephants until you tell them not to think of pink elephants.” I’d never even thought of special education before. It was something other people had to concern themselves with, and it had never even occurred to me to think about it, but now I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Although I was sad to leave Miss Cassie’s class, I know they keep learning and growing without me, and I’ll always be grateful I was able to join them and learn so much about special education, and myself, in the process. If I have the honor of winning this scholarship, it will help put me through schooling to become a special education teacher, so I can help end some of the stigma surrounding these programs and the wonderful students who benefit from them.

When I went into the education program at the local career center, I knew I was doing it because I wanted to be an English professor. I wanted to teach the subject I loved most to students who were old enough and wise enough to understand it. I was very excited. At the last minute, I also enrolled in a LINKS class, where I would be expected to engage with and help students my age who were in special education. I was interested, but also somewhat nervous, because I didn’t know anything about special education, or the students I was supposed to be interacting with. I enjoyed it. It wasn’t my favorite class, but I liked it enough that when the time came to go on a field placement, I requested to be placed in a special education class. I packed my bag and prepared as much as I could, considering I knew nothing about the class I was going into. After wandering around my placement school for a few minutes, I found it. Miss Cassie’s class was for moderately cognitively impaired middle school students on the autism spectrum. There was a grand total of nine students, as well as two other teaching aids. And, tentatively, I entered, introduced myself, and began to teach. The longer I was there, the more I felt I could do. Every day was a different sort of challenge, and I had to figure things out on my own. The teacher rarely told me what to do, so I gave myself work by doing anything I could. After a little while, I actually began to look forward to the time I would spend at placement. I got to know each student individually, where they were at intellectually, socially, and academically, as well as what they were like as people. I learned to communicate with the nonverbal students and calm the temperamental students. I began to connect in ways I never had with my other students. And I began to rethink my original plan of becoming a professor. What I hadn’t realized at the beginning of the year was that if people were “old and wise enough” to understand everything I was teaching them, I wasn’t teaching. I wanted to watch my students grow individually, and if they didn’t understand something at first, that’s why I was there. I found a career I could reasonably do, and it was something I would actually enjoy doing. There’s a saying that goes “Someone won’t think about pink elephants until you tell them not to think about pink elephants.” I had never even thought about special education before. It was something other people had to concern themselves with, and it had never even occurred to me to teach it. Even though I was sad to leave Miss Cassie’s class, I know they’re still learning and growing without me, and I’ll always be so grateful I was able to join them, and learn so much about special education, and myself, in the process.

Being a teenager and full time student, I’ve learned quite a bit about finances, have been given both good and bad advice, and have made both good and bad decisions involving my finances. While of course I learned some of these skills from my parents and teachers, others I learned, strangely, from a class of kindergarteners. I entered the Education Academy program at the Calhoun Area Career Center in 2022. I absolutely love it and it has taught me a lot about who I am and what I want to do with my life. One of the things I learned there was I did not want to work with lower elementary students, so I was a bit apprehensive about teaching Junior Achievement to kindergartners during one of our placements. In the spring of 2023, I entered the class with a bag in hand to teach a gaggle of 5 year olds. And I was surprised. I was surprised at how much they knew, and I was surprised at their decisions. In the very first lesson, volunteers ask the students to choose between two simple objects, to demonstrate choice: an orange or a banana for breakfast, shorts or pants to wear to school, a sandwich or a cookie at lunch? And these young children knew what they wanted, as well as knowing not to spend too much on it. About two months ago, I taught JA again, this time to a new group of students, who surprised me all over again with how intelligent they were and how much more they knew about themselves than many students my own age. Get a classful of high school seniors together and ask them what they want to do with their lives. Many will not know. But get a classful of kindergarteners together and ask the same question, and every single one will have an answer. By saying this, I’m not looking down on high schoolers, I’m simply saying the most important things you will learn about finances, you will learn as a young child: Don’t expect something for nothing, keep the coins you find because you will need them later, know what you want versus what you need, know why you make the choices you do, and know your options. I didn’t learn these in high school. Possibly one of the worst financial decisions I’ve ever made was in high school. High school is a time to make mistakes. Although I’ve made mistakes with my money, I’ve learned from them, and I’ve gotten better with money, even if, coming from an impoverished family, I don’t have the most experience with it. I try to make good decisions and weed out the good advice from the bad. I hope in the next few years, as a college student who will be mostly or completely independent, I’ll be able to put the skills I learned from my wonderful kindergarten classes into practice and learn even more so I can be a good student and responsible adult.

Reading has always been important to me and my family. It helped get me through some really tough times in my life. During one of those times, near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I picked up "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury. It was a small, thin book, buried in a stack in my mother's bedroom, but those brief 158 pages changed my life. If I could have everyone in the world read just one book, I would want that book to be Mr. Bradbury's best work. Once I finished it, I began to read similar works: "1984" by George Orwell, "We" by Yevgeny Zamyatin, and "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley. All of these works changed my perspective on society and government as a whole, and also taught me to watch how our country is going. While many of these dystopian books have endings where the main character eventually succumbs to the totalitarianism, "Fahrenheit 451" has a different ending. At the end of the book, Guy Montag's life is in ruins. He has killed the fire chief, his books were burned, and his wife was killed in an air raid. He knows he can never go back. Yet the ending is full of hope. Although Guy Montag has lost everything that made his life what it was, he remains hopeful because he knows what he can tell people. Buried inside him are the words he read, and buried inside the other men he is with are what they read. He decides they will travel into the city that was destroyed by the air raid, and maybe now, after everything that had taken people's attentions away before have been destroyed, they can recite their books to them, and they can start over. I read this book at least once a year, and I continue to believe everyone should read it at least once in their lives. It changed my perspective on government, conformism, and how only "a word, a few words, could sear all their faces and wake them up."

This spring, for my CTE course, I was placed at a special education developmental center for work-based learning, in a MoCI (moderately cognitively impaired) high school class. When I entered the class, I wasn’t told what to expect, I was given very little information about the students, and I wasn’t able to observe much actual learning because of the times I was there, but I was determined to make the most of it. There were fifteen students altogether, but only about nine in the class at a time, the others gone because of illness, behavior, or half days, so unfortunately I wasn’t able to get close to some of them. I was able to form a good relationship with a few of them, though, sitting with some boys at lunch and playing with them during recess. They even invited me to “do boxes” (help break down the boxes from lunch and carry them outside). While it took a while for some of the students to warm up to me, others became close quite quickly. I really had to work on taking initiative during this placement, which is something I struggle with. I prefer my supervisors to tell me what to do, and when to do it, so I can be sure I’m not doing anything wrong or overstepping boundaries. That is not what happened. My supervising teacher was kind to me, but didn’t often give me directions, and because we were only in the class for a few minutes at a time, I didn’t have much opportunity to organize or clean, which is often what I fall back on when I don't have directions. I had a slightly difficult time remaining optimistic. I didn’t know what was expected of me, I wasn’t learning anything about teaching, and I was having trouble forming a positive relationship with the teacher. So I had to remind myself why I was there, a lot. I reminded myself it wasn’t for me, or for the other teachers. It was for the students. I was there to form relationships with and learn from the students. And I did. While this placement made me seriously question whether or not I really wanted to teach special education, I realized towards the end that I did. That it didn’t matter if I liked my teachers or supervisors, because I was there for the students. And I loved my students. That’s why I stuck with the field placement, and that’s why I’m going to stick with special education.

When I went into the education program at the local career center, I knew I was doing it because I wanted to become an English professor. I wanted to teach the subject that I loved best to people who would be old and wise enough to understand it. I was very excited. And at the last minute, I was also enrolled in a LINKS class, where I would be expected to engage and help students my age who were in special education. I was interested, but also somewhat nervous, because I didn’t know anything about special education, or the students I was supposed to be interacting with. I enjoyed it. It wasn’t my favorite class, but I liked it enough that when the time came around to go on a field placement, I requested to be put in a special education class. I packed my bag and prepared as much as I could, considering I knew nothing about the class I was going into. After wandering around my placement school for a few minutes, I found it. Miss Cassie Inman’s class was for moderately cognitively impaired middle school students on the autism spectrum. There were nine students in the class, as well as two other teaching aids. And, tentatively, I entered, introduced myself, and began to teach. The longer I was there, the more I felt like I could do. Every day was a different sort of challenge, and I had to figure things out on my own. The teacher rarely told me what to do, so I gave myself extra work doing anything I could. After a little while, I actually began to look forward to the time I would spend at placement. I got to know each student individually, where they were at intellectually, socially, and academically, as well as what they were like as people. I learned to communicate with the nonverbal students, and how to calm the temperamental students. I began to connect in ways that had never happened with my other students. And I began to rethink my original plan of becoming a professor. What I hadn’t realized at the beginning of the year was that if people were “old and wise enough” to understand everything I was teaching them, I wasn’t teaching. I wanted to watch my students grow individually, and if they didn’t understand something at first, that’s why I was there. I found a career I could reasonably do, and it was something that I would actually enjoy. There’s a saying that goes “Someone won’t think about pink elephants until you tell them not to think about pink elephants.” I had never even thought about special education before. It was something that other people had to concern themselves with, and it had never even occurred to me to think about it. But now I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Even though I was sad to leave Miss Cassie’s class, I know they’ll keep learning and growing without me, and I’ll always be grateful that I was able to join them, and learn so much about special education, and myself, in the process.

When I went into the education program at the local career center, I knew I was doing it because I wanted to become an English professor. I wanted to teach the subject that I loved best to people who would be old and wise enough to understand it. I was very excited. And at the last minute, I was also enrolled in a LINKS class, where I would be expected to engage and help students my age who were in special education. I was interested, but also somewhat nervous, because I didn’t know anything about special education, or the students I was supposed to be interacting with. I enjoyed it. It wasn’t my favorite class, but I liked it enough that when the time came around to go to field placement, I requested to be put in a special education class. I packed my bag and prepared as much as I could, considering I knew nothing about the class I was going into. After wandering around my placement school for a few minutes, I found my class. Miss Cassie Inman’s class was for moderately cognitively impaired middle school students on the autism spectrum. There were nine students in the class, as well as two other teaching aids. And then I began to teach. The longer I was there, the more I felt like I could do. Every day was a different sort of challenge, and I had to figure things out on my own. The teacher rarely told me what to do, so I gave myself extra work doing anything I could. After a little while, I actually began to look forward to the time I would spend at placement. I got to know each student individually, where they were at intellectually, socially, and academically, as well as what they were like as people. I learned to communicate with the nonverbal students, and how to calm the temperamental students. I began to connect in ways that had never happened with my other students. And I began to rethink my original plan of becoming a professor. What I hadn’t realized at the beginning of the year was that if people were “old and wise enough” to understand everything I was teaching them, I wasn’t teaching. I wanted to watch my students grow individually, and if they didn’t understand something at first, that’s why I was there. I found a career that I could reasonably do, and it was something that I would actually enjoy. There’s a saying that goes “Someone won’t think about pink elephants until you tell them not to think about pink elephants.” I had never even thought about special education before. It was something that other people had to concern themselves with, and it had never even occurred to me to think about it. But now I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Even though I was sad to leave Miss Cassie’s class, I know they’ll keep learning and growing without me, and I’ll always be grateful that I was able to join them, and learn so much in the process.

Several years ago, I had the pleasure of watching the 2012 production of "Les Miserables" for the first time. My youngest uncle had been cast as Marius in his high school's production, and to make sure we understood the story line before seeing the play, my mom had my brother and I watch the movie. There was a lot of pausing and explaining, as the majority of the dialogue in the movie was told through music. I wasn't too interested at first. I was excited for my uncle, but being an eleven year old who had never been particularly into musicals or Broadway, I couldn't get into it at first. The movie itself is three hours long, and added in with the long explanations as well as our bedtimes, it took about three nights to finish. By that time, I was starting to get into the story, and was excited to see the version put on by my uncle's school. In the Finale, the main character, Jean Valjean, dies by the side of his adopted daughter and son-in-law. As he tells his daughter his life story, how he was arrested for trying to keep his nieces and nephews alive, and his resulting life on the run, he begs her forgiveness for keeping his past a secret. Her biological mother, who died while trying to earn money for her only child, appears to bring Jean Valjean to heaven, and tells him "To love another person is to see the face of GOD." They go to heaven together, and see all of the other characters who died throughout the movie, living together in a perfect world. That line "To love another person is to see the face of GOD", has stuck with me throughout the past seven years. I watched the high school production, and although it had a different feel from the movie, I loved it just as much. Seeing "Les Mis" for the first time sparked my love for musicals, which has stuck with me ever since. I've since watched the movie about ten times, listened to the soundtrack countless times, and I'm currently attempting to read the novel (lovingly referred to as "the brick" by fans because of its approximately 1400 pages). Out of all of the musicals I've seen since, "Les Miserables" remains my favorite. I like the characters, and the music, and the story, and the sheer size of it, but I absolutely love the message. It's a dark story, full of poverty, revolution, and death, but there is also so much love in it. Throughout all the misery the characters deal with, there is an undercurrent of hope that cannot be killed. And that's what keeps bringing me back to it, time after time.

When I went into the education program at the local career center, I thought I was doing it because I wanted to become an English professor. I wanted to teach the subject that I loved best to people who would be old and wise enough to understand it. I was very excited. And at the last minute, I was also enrolled in a LINKS class, where I would be expected to engage and help students my age who were in special education. I was interested, but also somewhat nervous, because I didn’t know anything about special education, or the students I was supposed to be interacting with. And I enjoyed it. It wasn’t my favorite class, but I liked it enough that when the time came around to go to field placement, I requested to be put in a special education class. I packed my bag and prepared as much as I could, considering I knew nothing about the class I was going into. After wandering around my placement school for a few minutes, I found it. Miss Cassie Inman’s class was for moderately cognitively impaired middle school students on the autism spectrum. There were nine students in the class, as well as two other teaching aids. And, tentatively, I entered, and introduced myself, and began to teach. The longer I was there, the more I felt like I could do. Every day was a different sort of challenge, and I had to figure things out on my own. The teacher rarely told me what to do, so I gave myself extra work doing anything I could. After a little while, I actually began to look forward to the time I would spend at placement. I got to know each student individually, where they were intellectually, socially, and academically, as well as what they were like as people. I learned to communicate with the nonverbal students, and to calm the temperamental students. I began to connect in ways that had never happened with my other students. And I began to rethink my original plan of becoming a professor. What I hadn’t realized at the beginning of the year was that if people were “old and wise enough” to understand everything I was teaching them, I wasn’t teaching. I wanted to watch my students grow individually, and if they didn’t understand something at first, that’s why I was there. I found a career that I could reasonably do, and it was something that I would actually enjoy. There’s a saying that goes “Someone won’t think about pink elephants until you tell them not to think about pink elephants.” I had never even thought about special education before. It was something that other people had to concern themselves with, and it had never even occurred to me to think about it. But now I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Even though I was sad to leave Miss Cassie’s class, I know they’re still learning and growing without me, and I’ll always be grateful that I was able to join them, and learn so much about teaching, and special education, and myself in the process.

I’ve struggled with mental health for a long time. The first time I realized I had a problem was when I filled out a questionnaire at a wellness check and the doctor told me I might have mild depression. That was years ago and since then I have been diagnosed with a couple of different disorders. It took a while, but with the help of medication and talk therapy, I’ve improved, and recently went to Advocacy Day in Lansing to help advocate for better mental healthcare in Michigan. There, I met with state and house representatives and talked about my own struggles and those I’ve seen in others, and learned that 41% of LGBTQ+ people in Michigan have seriously considered committing suicide in the past year, and that half of that number are trans, nonbinary, or both. I’m glad to say I am not one of this 41%. I have teachers and friends who support me, even if they don’t quite understand me or my identity. I don’t quite understand myself sometimes, but I know that I’m lucky to have such a supportive community. Many people aren’t in safe enough spaces to feel like they can come out or express themselves, so I think it’s very important for there to be services for people to talk confidentially about their problems, without a charge. While mental health problems can strike any person at any stage of life, they are very common for people living in low-income households, or people experiencing homelessness, which means these services need to be available for people without the money that would afford them traditional mental healthcare. According to tobybarrontherapy.com, 61% of trans men and 49% of trans women met the criteria for a lifelong mental health disorder. LGBTQ+ people have historically had less access to both mental and physical health care because of fear or misunderstanding surrounding them, like during the AIDS epidemic of the 90's, when health care professionals were afraid to treat gay men because they didn’t understand AIDS or the fact that it is not transmitted through touch. Because of this, it is essential that affordable, confidential health care of all kinds is available to everyone, especially minorities. As an LGBTQ+ person who personally struggles with their mental health, if I win this scholarship, I will use it to help put me through schooling to earn my special education teaching certification so I can continue to advocate for LGBTQ+ people, people with mental health struggles, and people with intellectual disabilities.

I’ve wanted to be a teacher for the past 2 years. I signed up for the Education program at the CACC at the end of my tenth grade year, not even sure if I would like it, but figuring if I could continue to learn while also teaching others, that would be the best career for me. We went through a few teachers that year due to job switches, but every one of them made sure to keep the class a place that felt like home. After half a day at the high school, I would ride a bus over to the career center and be with like-minded people as we learned what we wanted to do with our lives. The teachers and staff were very accommodating. They gave us two weeks in our classes to make sure that was where we wanted to be. If the class wasn’t right for us, they would transfer us to another program, or back to the high school. It didn’t even take me the whole two weeks to feel right at home. I knew for a fact that I wanted to be a teacher. But what kind of teacher? Going into the class, I’d had the vague idea that being an English professor would be interesting, and I already had experience with young children, about ages birth to six, from volunteering at my church and a local home daycare, but after working in several different classrooms, I found that my passion was teaching special education students. I was able to get experience in lots of different areas, teaching students of different ages and abilities, and found that I really enjoyed it, and looked forward to going back to teach more. So I decided to go into special education. Over the next year at the career center, I received first aid qualifications and certificates that would help me in my future career, learned the terminology, and learned more about the types of people and the specific disabilities I would be working with. And with everything that I learned, the more I enjoyed special education. I’m a senior at Marshall High School and a second year student in the Education Academy at the Calhoun Area Career Center. I hope to earn a special education teaching certificate from a four-year college to become a middle school special education teacher after I graduate. If I win this scholarship, it will help to put me through schooling to earn the specialized certification I need to start my career.

Throughout my time in high school, I have developed many important skills that will help me throughout my adult life, but I think the most important of these is learning better communication with my teachers and peers. When I started going to high school in person, it was in my sophomore year and I didn’t know anyone. I had gone to a free charter school throughout all of elementary and middle school, and had planned on transferring to the public high school in my freshman year. But then COVID-19 hit. I tried my best to stay on top of school work for the rest of my eighth grade year, then in the fall started the virtual program that was being offered by the public high school. It didn’t work out. I’d always struggled with math, and being away from teachers and other students, I couldn’t ask for help when I needed it, so I quickly fell behind in many subjects. At the end of the semester, I went back to the program offered by the charter school. It was still difficult, but I finished the school year without failing any classes. When I transferred back to the public high school in the fall, I was starting completely new after a year of virtual school. I tried to make friends, but most of the other students had known each other for years, and had gone to elementary and middle school together. I’d always been a quiet kid and struggled with communication, and while I managed to get decent grades and talk to my teachers for help when I needed it, I found it difficult to make positive connections. At the end of my tenth grade year, I signed up for choir and an education program at the local career center. I hoped these things would help me to become more a part of the local community. When I came back from summer break and began eleventh grade, I dove in and tried my best to talk to my classmates, and develop connections, and it started slow, but it began to work. I became closer to people, and became more confident, and started to feel like I belonged. I still struggle with voicing my opinions and speaking up when I need help, but I now understand how important it is to have a network of support with the people around me, and I know it will help me succeed wherever I choose to go after high school. After I graduate, I hope to go to a four-year college to earn my special education teaching certification. Using the skills I learned in high school, I'll be able to get through schooling successfully, then be able to make a difference in my students' lives.

I’ve wanted to be a teacher for the past 2 years. I signed up for the Education program at the CACC at the end of my tenth grade year, not even sure if I would like it, but figuring if I could continue to learn while also teaching others, that would be the best career for me. We went through a few teachers that year due to job switches, but every one of them made sure to keep the class a place that felt like home. After half a day at the high school, I would ride a bus over to the career center and be with like-minded people as we learned what we wanted to do with our lives. The teachers and staff were very accommodating. They gave us two weeks in our classes to make sure that was where we wanted to be. If the class wasn’t right for us, they would transfer us to another program, or back to the high school. It didn’t even take me the whole two weeks to feel right at home. I knew for a fact that I wanted to be a teacher. But what kind of teacher? Going into the class, I’d had the vague idea that being an English professor would be interesting, and I already had experience with young children, about ages birth to six, from volunteering at my church and a local home daycare, but after working in several different classrooms, I found that my passion was teaching special education students. I was able to get experience in lots of different areas, teaching students of different ages and abilities, and found that I really enjoyed it, and looked forward to going back to teach more. So I decided to go into special education. Over the next year at the career center, I received first aid qualifications and certificates that would help me in my future career, learned the terminology, and learned more about the types of people and the specific disabilities I would be working with. And with everything that I learned, the more I enjoyed special education. I’m a senior at Marshall High School and a second year student in the Education Academy at the Calhoun Area Career Center. I hope to get a special education teaching certificate to become a middle school special education teacher after I graduate. If I win this scholarship, it will help to put me through schooling to earn the specialized certification I need to start my career.

I want to teach because I have felt the need my whole life to do anything I could to help others, and I’ve only taught a few times before this year, but whenever I’m in the classroom, it feels like where I’m supposed to be. I believe that education should be free and open to everyone, and that schools should be safe places for anyone who chooses to be there. I intend to teach to the best of my ability, while keeping in mind that the students will always be more important than the curriculum. I plan to use modern methods of teaching to teach in the most engaging way for each individual student. I plan to manage my classroom by always being strict and making sure all work gets done, but also remembering that I am no better than my students, and the students are no better than me. I believe that the students and staff have a right to their own life outside school, and it should be as independent as possible, without intervention unless it threatens the safety of students or staff. Communication is very important in keeping everyone safe, but it isn’t healthy for the students and teachers to communicate at all hours of the day. My goals are for the students to grow intellectually and personally throughout the year, and I believe it is more important for them to learn at their own pace than to force them to learn at a pace they can’t follow. Not all of the students need to be together at the same time. Individual work and growth is more helpful for the students in the long run, even if they fall behind at first as a result. I think that families and the community should be actively involved in helping with education, to the best of their abilities. After all, it takes a village to raise a child. Education isn’t something that should be “left to the professionals”, because everyone has the ability to teach, just like everyone also has the ability to learn. Finally, all children have the right to an education that will benefit them, even if it isn’t available to them in general education. Education in any form should be free and available, especially for students with physical or mental disabilities that prevent them from being in a traditional classroom setting.

I’m a senior at Marshall High School and a second year student in the Education Academy at CACC, the local career center. I’m a member, volunteer, and youth representative at the Marshall United Methodist Church. In my free time I enjoy reading, writing, drawing, and raising fish. I hope to get a special education teaching certificate to become a middle school special education teacher after I graduate. As a low-income student and first generation college student, I don't currently have the money to go through schooling. If I earn this scholarship, it will help me to get the specialized certification I need to teach. I’ve wanted to be a teacher for the past 2 years. I signed up for the Education program at the CACC at the end of my tenth grade year, not even sure if I would like it, but figuring if I could continue to learn while also teaching others, that would be the best career for me. We went through a few teachers that year due to job switches, but every one of them made sure to keep the class a place that felt like home. After half a day at the high school, I would ride a bus over to the career center and be with like-minded people as we learned what we wanted to do with our lives. The teachers and staff were very accommodating. They gave us two weeks in our classes to make sure that was where we wanted to be. If the class wasn’t right for us, they would transfer us to another program, or back to the high school. It didn’t even take me the whole two weeks to feel right at home. I knew for a fact that I wanted to be a teacher. But what kind of teacher? Going into the class, I’d had the vague idea that being an English professor would be interesting, and I already had experience with young children, about ages birth to six, from volunteering at my church and a local home daycare, but after working in several different classrooms, I found that my passion was teaching special education students. I was able to get experience in lots of different areas, teaching students of different ages and abilities, and found that I really enjoyed it, and looked forward to going back to teach more. So I decided to go into special education. Over the next year at the career center, I received first aid qualifications and certificates that would help me in my future career, learned the terminology, and learned more about the types of people and the specific disabilities I would be working with. And with everything that I learned, the more I enjoyed special education.

My name is Elisabeth Cronk. I’m a senior at Marshall High School and a second year student in the Education Academy at CACC, the local career center. I’m a member, volunteer, and youth representative at the Marshall United Methodist Church. In my free time I enjoy reading, writing, drawing, and raising fish. I hope to get a special education teaching certificate to become a middle school special education teacher after I graduate. I’ve wanted to be a teacher for the past 2 years. I signed up for the Education program at the CACC at the end of my tenth grade year, not even sure if I would like it, but figuring if I could continue to learn while also teaching others, that would be the best career for me. We went through a few teachers that year due to job switches, but every one of them made sure to keep the class a place that felt like home. After half a day at the high school, I would ride a bus over to the career center and be with like-minded people as we learned what we wanted to do with our lives. The teachers and staff were very accommodating. They gave us two weeks in our classes to make sure that was where we wanted to be. If the class wasn’t right for us, they would transfer us to another program, or back to the high school. It didn’t even take me the whole two weeks to feel right at home. I knew for a fact that I wanted to be a teacher. But what kind of teacher? Going into the class, I’d had the vague idea that being an English professor would be interesting, and I already had experience with young children, about ages birth to six, from volunteering at my church and a local home daycare, but after working in several different classrooms, I found that my passion was teaching special education students. I was able to get experience in lots of different areas, teaching students of different ages and abilities, and found that I really enjoyed it, and looked forward to going back to teach more. So I decided to go into special education. Over the next year at the career center, I received first aid qualifications and certificates that would help me in my future career, learned the terminology, and learned more about the types of people and the specific disabilities I would be working with. And with everything that I learned, the more I enjoyed special education.

For me, a life of success would be spent in the classroom, learning as well as teaching. I want to teach because I have felt the need my whole life to do anything I could to help others, and although I’ve only taught a few times before joining the education program at my local career center, whenever I’m in the classroom, it feels like where I’m supposed to be. I believe that education should be free and open to everyone, and that schools should be safe places for anyone who chooses to be there. I intend to teach to the best of my ability, while keeping in mind that the students will always be more important than the curriculum. I plan to use modern methods of teaching to teach in the most engaging way for each individual student. I plan to manage my classroom by always being strict and making sure all work gets done, but also remembering that I am no better than my students, and the students are no better than me. I believe that the students and staff have a right to their own life outside school, and it should be as independent as possible, without intervention unless it threatens the safety of students or staff. Communication is very important in keeping everyone safe, but it isn’t healthy for the students and teachers to communicate at all hours of the day. My goals are for the students to grow intellectually and personally throughout the year, and I believe it is more important for them to learn at their own pace than to force them to learn at a pace they can’t follow. Not all students need to be together at the same time, especially students who have intellectual or social/emotional disabilities. Individual work and growth is more helpful for the students in the long run, even if they fall behind at first as a result. I think that families and the community should be actively involved in helping with education, to the best of their abilities. After all, it takes a village to raise a child. Education isn’t something that should be “left to the professionals”, because everyone has the ability to teach, just like everyone also has the ability to learn. I believe all children have the right to an education that will benefit them, even if it isn’t available to them in general education. Education in any form should be free and available, especially for students with physical or mental disabilities that prevent them from being in a traditional classroom setting. For me, this would be a successful life; if I had the opportunity to teach students of all abilities and was able to change their lives, even in small ways. If I win this scholarship, it will help put me through schooling to earn my teaching certificate. As a future educator, I will put my philosophy into practice and do my best to make sure all students have access to developmentally appropriate resources to learn and grow at their own pace, and I will always advocate for the importance of lifelong learning.

I’ve struggled with mental health for a long time. The first time I realized I had a problem was when I filled out a questionnaire at a wellness check and the doctor told me I might have mild depression. That was years ago and since then I have been diagnosed with a couple of different disorders. It took a while, but with the help of medication and talk therapy, I’ve improved, and recently went to Advocacy Day in Lansing to help advocate for better mental healthcare in Michigan. There, I met with state and house representatives and talked about my own struggles and those I’ve seen in others, and learned that 41% of LGBTQ+ people in Michigan have seriously considered committing suicide in the past year, and that half of that number are trans, nonbinary, or both. I’m glad to say I am not one of this 41%. I have teachers and friends who support me, even if they don’t quite understand me or my identity. I don’t quite understand myself sometimes, but I know that I’m lucky to have such a supportive community. Many people aren’t in safe enough spaces to feel like they can come out or express themselves, so I think it’s very important for there to be services for people to talk confidentially about their problems, without a charge. While mental health problems can strike any person at any stage of life, they are very common for people living in low-income households, or people experiencing homelessness, which means these services need to be available for people without the money that would afford them traditional mental healthcare. According to tobybarrontherapy.com, 61% of trans men and 49% of trans women met the criteria for a lifelong mental health disorder. LGBTQ+ people have historically had less access to both mental and physical health care because of fear or misunderstanding surrounding them, like during the AIDS epidemic of the 90's, when health care professionals were afraid to treat gay men because they didn’t understand AIDS or the fact that it is not transmitted through touch. Because of this, it is essential that affordable, confidential health care of all kinds is available to everyone, especially minorities. As an LGBTQ+ person who personally struggles with both mental health and staying healthy physically, I will continue to do my part and communicate with government officials to spread the word and advocate for better health care for all.

I’ve struggled with mental health for a long time. The first time I realized I had a problem was when I filled out a questionnaire at a wellness check and the doctor told me I might have mild depression. That was years ago and since then I have been diagnosed with a couple of different disorders. It took a while, but with the help of medication and talk therapy, I’ve improved, and recently went to Advocacy Day in Lansing to help advocate for better mental healthcare in Michigan. There, I met with state and house representatives and talked about my own struggles and those I’ve seen in others, and learned that 41% of LGBTQ+ people in Michigan have seriously considered committing suicide in the past year, and that half of that number are trans, nonbinary, or both. I’m glad to say I am not one of this 41%. I have teachers and friends who support me, even if they don’t quite understand me or my identity. I don’t quite understand myself sometimes, but I know that I’m lucky to have such a supportive community. Many people aren’t in safe enough spaces to feel like they can come out or express themselves, so I think it’s very important for there to be services for people to talk confidentially about their problems, without a charge. While mental health problems can strike any person at any stage of life, they are very common for people living in low-income households, or people experiencing homelessness, which means these services need to be available for people without the money that would afford them traditional mental healthcare. According to tobybarrontherapy.com, 61% of trans men and 49% of trans women met the criteria for a lifelong mental health disorder. LGBTQ+ people have historically had less access to both mental and physical health care because of fear or misunderstanding surrounding them, like during the AIDS epidemic of the 90's, when health care professionals were afraid to treat gay men because they didn’t understand AIDS or the fact that it is not transmitted through touch. Because of this, it is essential that affordable, confidential health care of all kinds is available to everyone, especially minorities. As an LGBTQ+ person who personally struggles with both mental health and staying healthy physically, I will continue to do my part and communicate with government officials to spread the word and advocate for better health care for all.

In the fall of 2022, I entered the Education Academy at the local career center. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be a teacher, but I was interested in the course. The teachers and staff were very accommodating, and offered us two weeks to try out the class before committing to it. It didn't even take me the whole two weeks. I ended up liking it enough to stay for the rest of the course and go back my senior year. Later that fall, we went to teach a few mini-lessons at a center for students with developmental disabilities. I had been around special needs students before, but I was a bit nervous because I had never been around students with such severe disabilities. We taught our lessons in small groups, and I enjoyed it enough to ask to go back to the center for my student teaching that winter. I was placed in a middle school Autism Spectrum Disorder classroom where I was expected to help with math lessons, interact with the students, clean up after them, supervise, and do other little things around the class. There were only nine students so I was able to observe a lot of one-on-one interaction with them, which I didn’t see as much in traditional class settings. Although one of the main symptoms of ASD is difficulty communicating, I became more connected to these students in just six weeks than I was to any other class throughout that year, or the next. Every day was a new kind of challenge, and it was never boring. During my field placement, I learned what learning is about. It’s about the relationship between student and teacher when the teacher takes the time to find out about each student’s individual needs personally. None of the students in my class would have been able to learn in a traditional classroom setting, not because they weren’t smart enough, but because they needed that one-on-one with their teachers, and because they had different learning styles than their peers in general education. Every day, leaving on the bus, I was excited to come back the next day. I looked forward to it, and I knew that’s what I want out of my career. I want to have a career where I am happy, and where I feel like I am doing good with my life. I learned so much about both myself and others in such a short time, and I’ll never forget what first made me want to teach.

Throughout my time in high school, I have developed many important skills that will help me throughout my adult life, but I think the most important of these is learning better communication with my teachers and peers. When I started going to high school in person, it was in my sophomore year and I didn’t know anyone. I had gone to a free charter school throughout all of elementary and middle school, and had planned on transferring to the public high school in my freshman year. But then COVID-19 hit. I tried my best to stay on top of school work for the rest of my eighth grade year, then in the fall started the virtual program that was being offered by the public high school. It didn’t work out. I’d always struggled with math, and being away from teachers and other students, I couldn’t ask for help when I needed it, so I quickly fell behind in many subjects. At the end of the semester, I went back to the program offered by the charter school. It was still difficult, but I finished the school year without failing any classes. When I transferred back to the public high school in the fall, I was starting completely new after a year of virtual school. I tried to make friends, but most of the other students had known each other for years, and had gone to elementary and middle school together. I’d always been a quiet kid and struggled with communication, and while I managed to get decent grades and talk to my teachers for help when I needed it, I found it difficult to make positive connections. At the end of my tenth grade year, I signed up for choir and an education program at the local career center. I hoped these things would help me to become more a part of the local community. When I came back from summer break and began eleventh grade, I dove in and tried my best to talk to my classmates, and develop connections, and it started slow, but it began to work. I became closer to people, and became more confident, and started to feel like I belonged. I still struggle with voicing my opinions and speaking up when I need help, but I now understand how important it is to have a network of support with the people around me, and I know it will help me succeed wherever I choose to go after high school.

In the fall of 2022, I entered the Education Academy at the local career center. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be a teacher, but I was interested in the course. I ended up liking it enough to stay for the rest of the course and go back my senior year. Later that fall, we went to teach a few mini-lessons at a center for students with developmental disabilities. I had been around special needs students before, but I was a bit nervous because I had never been around students with such severe disabilities. We taught our lessons in small groups, and I enjoyed it enough to ask to go back to the center for my student teaching that winter. I was placed in a middle school Autism Spectrum Disorder classroom where I was expected to help with math lessons, interact with the students, clean up after them, supervise, and do other little things around the class. There were only nine students so I was able to observe a lot of one-on-one interaction with them, which I didn’t see as much in traditional class settings. Although one of the main symptoms of ASD is difficulty communicating, I became more connected to these students in just six weeks than I was to any other class throughout the year. Every day was a new kind of challenge, and it was never boring. During my field placement, I learned what learning is about. It’s about the relationship between student and teacher when the teacher takes the time to find out about each student’s individual needs personally. None of the students in my class would have been able to learn in a traditional classroom setting, not because they weren’t smart enough, but because they needed that one-on-one with their teachers, and because they had different learning styles than their peers in general ed. Every day, leaving on the bus, I was excited to come back the next day. I looked forward to it, and I knew that’s what I want out of my career. I want to have a career where I am happy, and where I think I am doing good with my life. I learned so much about both myself and others in such a short time, and I’ll never forget what first made me want to teach. If I was given the opportunity, I would use this scholarship money to help pay my way through college so I could get my teaching certificate and become a successful special education teacher.

I enjoy reading and writing, and do so often, so sometimes I think of my own life as a story. If my life were a book, I would call the next upcoming chapter The Beginning, Again. I would call it this because I've already experienced my "beginning", my childhood years and everything they entailed, living with my family and going to school, dealing with failures and triumphs together, but now I'm getting ready to start again. I recently turned eighteen, so now I'm an adult, and this summer I'll be moving away from home for the first time to begin college. I heard once that some people deal with their feelings of unproductivity in their early adult years by thinking of it as being a child again. They would consider eighteen as "adult year one", and nineteen as "adult year 2" and so on. That way, even if they hadn't accomplished any great feat by age 20, they could explain it by the fact that they were only 3 in "adult years". While I didn't like this comparison, it was what I thought of when I decided the title of my new chapter in life. Every part of my life is important, meaning my childhood and teenage years were just as influential, perhaps even more so, than the years I'm about to enter. However, even though I am not beginning fresh, I am entering a beginning of sorts, which is why I entitle my new chapter The Beginning, Again.

In the fall of 2022, I entered the Education Academy at the local career center. I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be a teacher, but I was interested in the course. I ended up liking it enough to stay for the rest of the course and go back my senior year. In the fall of my junior year, our class went to teach a few mini-lessons at a center for students with developmental disabilities. I had been around special needs students before, but I was a bit nervous because I had never been around students with such severe disabilities. We taught our lessons in small groups, and I enjoyed it enough to ask to go back to the center for my student teaching that winter. I was placed in a middle school Autism Spectrum Disorder classroom where I was expected to help with math lessons, interact with the students, clean up after them, supervise, and do other little things around the class. There were only nine students so I was able to observe a lot of one-on-one interaction with them, which I didn’t see as much in traditional class settings. Although one of the main symptoms of ASD is difficulty communicating, I became more connected to these students in just six weeks than I was to any other class throughout the year. Every day was a new kind of challenge, and although it was sometimes difficult, it was never boring. During my field placement in that class, I learned what learning is about. It’s about the relationship between student and teacher when the teacher takes the time to find out about each student’s individual needs personally. None of the students in my class would have been able to learn in a traditional classroom setting, not because they weren’t smart enough, but because they needed that one-on-one with their teachers, and because they had different learning styles than their peers in general ed. Every day, leaving on the bus, I was excited to come back the next day. I looked forward to it, and I knew that’s what I want out of my career. I want to have a career where I am happy, and where I think I am doing good with my life. I learned so much about both myself and others in such a short time, and I’ll never forget what first made me want to teach.