As a kid, my home life was not ideal. When my father was at home, he was abusing me, and my mother worked too much to notice that not all of my cuts and bruises were from slipping on the playground. Because of this, my teachers at school became some of my best friends. They kept me after class to work on projects, until my mother could come pick me up, instead of my father. They told kids to “knock it off” when they asked me why I had another bruise on my arm. They kept extra snacks in their classrooms and closets in case my family forgot to pack me one. These teachers changed my life, and made me feel safe and welcomed for once. Through their influence, and the fond memories I have of my childhood teachers, I have remained optimistic about my life. These teachers taught me at a young age that regardless of what might be going on at home, I can always find a means of escape. They helped me through elementary, middle, and high school, and have shaped me into the person I am today. Because of their influence on my life, I’ve known for a long time that I want to become a teacher, especially because of the way I help my sister at home. I have always been her “on call tutor” because neither of my parents had the time to spare to help us. Thus, when I came to high school, I enrolled in my school’s Future Teachers of America chapter. I go into the classrooms of elementary school students, in order to receive hands-on experience with the children. I even went virtually during the Covid-19 Pandemic, and attended a Kindergarten ESL class, and I taught them lessons about the seasons, pets and food over the months I worked with them. Having this in-class experience before attending college helped me to solidify my goals of wanting to become a teacher, as I was able to experience creating lesson plans and executing them to a group of students. Furthermore, I am a part of a tutoring program in my high school via my involvement in National Honors Society, which I was inducted into my Junior year. I tutor two kids once a week and I prepare them for their upcoming tests, quizzes and homework assignments. Since I have taken the initiative to be involved in mentoring and student teaching in high school, I feel more prepared for my future as a teacher. Additionally, I have applied Early Action to colleges for programs in teaching. Specifically, I have applied to schools with 5 year combined Bachelors and Masters education degrees, so that I can have a more in depth preparation before I go into the field. I think my passion for helping the younger generations as well as my current experience has adequately prepared me to be a teacher, and I hope to one day change the lives of students.

Since I was in fourth grade, I have been volunteering at my dance studio as an assistant dance teacher. I don’t get paid for my time and talents in money, instead, I get paid in the joy of seeing these kids love dance as I do. While I have spent other hours tutoring students, or cleaning our local pond Lake Papiani with my Girl Scout Troop, it is more rewarding to me to see these kids grow up with the same love of dance that I have. Volunteering at a dance studio, with young kids, is not always the easiest way to volunteer. Kids are needy, they have bathroom accidents, they complain often, and they jump on you, pull on your hair, and get closer in your personal space than you even expect. Teaching them every Saturday morning for many years has taught me patience, as well as commitment. I need to take a breath and assess situations, keep my cool with upset children, and make sure that they are having a good time at dance class despite what might be going on. Working with them is so rewarding because it allows me to practice hands on problem solving, and teaches me key patience that I will need in the future as a teacher. Helping these kids shows me how to be compassionate, that while I may not understand their problems as a Senior in high school, I can put myself in their shoes and help them find solutions. Furthermore, volunteering allows me to share my passion for dance with the children I teach. As someone who wishes to be a teacher in the future, I am committed to sharing the things I love with children, because they will inherit the world after us. Being able to share my passion for dance with them and teach them new dance moves brings a smile to my face even on the worst mornings. The happy jumps they do when they master a new move, or how they try to get my attention to show me what they have been practicing at home, makes me feel like an accomplished teacher, and keeps the warm feeling of Christmas morning inside of me any time I see them happy. By teaching dance to these kids, I am giving them a good role model to look up to, and I am inspiring a new generation of dancers to bring the joy of performance to their families. Giving back to my community, even if it’s just my dance community, means making an impact on people for emotional—rather than monetary or physical—rewards. Knowing that my students are going to continue to dance at my studio after they graduate the preschool class makes me feel accomplished, and I do not need some sort of monetary incentive to show up every Saturday morning. Instead, I keep doing it because I love to see the smiles on their faces. By giving back to my community I am making an impact on someone else’s life, whether it be a big or small impact. Community service is imperative for building character: it shows people how to care for others, how to give without receiving anything physical in return, how they can make a difference no matter their age or background. Volunteering at dance has not only shown me all of these things, but it has also taught me that no matter what I might be going through, or how poorly I might be feeling, I can still take the time to cheer someone else up, and improve their day. In the future, I hope to keep volunteering my time as an after school tutor or working on activities with kids, as I wish to become a teacher. I hope to impact my community by inspiring a generation of new students who experience endless love and support from their teacher. Overall, I feel like everyone should be involved in community service because it not only improves their character, but it also makes a positive change in someone else’s life.

The video attached is a dance I have choreographed to "Castle On A Cloud" From Les Miserables. I did the dance en pointe for a dance recital, and choreographed the entire piece by myself. I chose to wear plain black clothes in order to show the drab and destitute life that the little girl who is singing, Cosette, has lived. After spending many hours debating which song to choose for my solo, I decided upon "Castle On A Cloud" because of the symbolic meaning of the song, and because of the effect that the musical, Les Miserables, has had on my life. Les Miserables opened my eyes to musical theatre and introduced me to one of my current passions, which is acting. Furthermore, in this song, the poor, young girl who lives with abusive adopted parents wishes for a life where she lived happily in a castle that resides in a cloud. This really resonates with me and how I felt during my childhood, as someone with an abusive, alcoholic father who constantly wished to have more in her life. The song reminded me of my younger self, which is why I chose to use this song for my solo. As I continue in life, I hope to minor in dance in college, and continue to perform and choreograph while in school. I have already made arrangements with the owner of my dance studio to return there after getting my degree and teach dance at night. Teaching and choreographing is one of my passions, and I hope to continue it throughout my life.

As a kid, my home life was not ideal. When my father was at home, he was abusing me, and my mother worked too much to notice that not all of my cuts and bruises were from slipping on the playground. I often struggled with my self-confidence, because I felt as though I deserved my fathers abuse. TWO SENTENCES HEREThey kept me after class to work on projects, until my mother could come pick me up, instead of my father. They told kids to “knock it off” when they asked me why I had another bruise on my arm. They kept extra snacks in their classrooms and closets in case my family forgot to pack me one. These teachers changed my life, and made me feel safe and welcomed for once. Through their influence, and the fond memories I have of my childhood teachers, I have remained optimistic about my life. These teachers taught me at a young age that regardless of what might be going on at home, I can always find a means of escape. Thus through the arts, such as dance, theatre, and choir—which I spend many hours a week participating in—I am able to express the pain I feel. Having an outlet allows me to remain optimistic about my future, and reassure me that no matter what I might be facing, I still have opportunities to succeed. Overall, my optimism reassures me that there are always opportunities out there, as long as you take time to seek them out.

I believe in love. Not the cheesy, “I love you, let’s get married” high school love. Not the steamy love that you see in Rated-R television shows. Instead, I believe in the fact that we should turn to love and forgiveness before starting to hate a person. So my favorite way to help people is by showing love, even in the face of the hatred and immaturity that plagues our society. I believe that everyone, regardless of religion, sexual orientation, gender, family income, or any other defining factor, deserves love. Thus I make it my priority to ensure that everyone feels included, no matter the situation. I feel inclined to ensure that people do not go home feeling like no one cares about them, or like no one would notice if they were missing. Specifically as a future teacher, I want to establish this precedent in my classroom, that regardless of any attribute they might have, students are valid and I appreciate every single one of them, no matter the challenge they may pose instructionally. I have witnessed first hand, teachers neglecting students who they deem a “challenge” in order to focus on the students who are easier to teach. I feel like no one should be left out, and if given the proper time, instruction and care, every student will be able to flourish. Thus, I want to extend my contributions as someone who loves everyone regardless into the workforce, as a teacher who will love everyone.

I’ve known for a long time that I want to become a teacher, especially because of the way I help my sister at home. I have always been her “on call tutor” because neither of my parents had the time to spare to help us. Thus, when I came to high school, I enrolled in my school’s Future Teachers of America chapter. I go into the classrooms of elementary school students, in order to receive hands-on experience with the children. I even went virtually during the Covid-19 Pandemic, and attended a Kindergarten ESL class, and I taught them lessons about the seasons, pets and food over the months I worked with them. Having this in-class experience before attending college helped me to solidify my goals of wanting to become a teacher, as I was able to experience creating lesson plans and executing them to a group of students. Furthermore, I am a part of a tutoring program in my high school via my involvement in National Honors Society, which I was inducted into my Junior year. I tutor two kids once a week and I prepare them for their upcoming tests, quizzes and homework assignments. Since I have taken the initiative to be involved in mentoring and student teaching in high school, I feel more prepared for my future as a teacher. Additionally, I have applied Early Action to colleges for programs in teaching. Specifically, I have applied to schools with 5 year combined Bachelors and Masters education degrees, so that I can have a more in depth preparation before I go into the field. I think my passion for helping the younger generations as well as my current experience has adequately prepared me to be a teacher, and I hope to one day change the lives of students.

As a kid, my home life was not ideal. When my father was at home, he was abusing me, and my mother worked too much to notice that not all of my cuts and bruises were from slipping on the playground. Because of this, my teachers at school became some of my best friends. They kept me after class to work on projects, until my mother could come pick me up, instead of my father. They told kids to “knock it off” when they asked me why I had another bruise on my arm. They kept extra snacks in their classrooms and closets in case my family forgot to pack me one. These teachers changed my life, and made me feel safe and welcomed for once. Through their influence, and the fond memories I have of my childhood teachers, I have remained optimistic about my life. These teachers taught me at a young age that regardless of what might be going on at home, I can always find a means of escape. Thus through the arts, such as dance, theatre, and choir—which I spend many hours a week participating in—I am able to express the pain I feel. Having an outlet allows me to remain optimistic about my future, and reassure me that no matter what I might be facing, I still have opportunities to succeed. Overall, my optimism reassures me that there are always opportunities out there, as long as you take time to seek them out.

When I was younger, my family did not have the most money. I did not have the luxuries of vacations, fancy clothes, or the latest technological gadgets. I was not friends with many kids my age, because I did not have a nice house for play dates, and because my mom was too busy working to take me to their houses. But I had my teachers, who always supported me and pushed me to be the best version of myself. Through their kindness, I became inspired to be a teacher, and encourage equality and diversity in the future. For instance, I am the Chief of my school's newspaper, the Eagle’s Eye, and I am committed to diversifying the newspaper, and ensuring that every student's voice is represented. I make sure that different sexual orientations, religions, ethnicities and genders are fully represented in the newspaper and in the interviews we conduct. As someone who came from a lower-income family, I want to ensure that students like me receive the support they need to succeed, as I did. Furthermore, as a future teacher, I aspire to make my classroom a safe space for all students to express themselves, feel supported and receive the support needed to pursue their dreams. As I believe in loving those around you regardless of their background or their actions, I think every person is entitled to the same opportunities regarding a classroom experience and an education. One of my dreams is to travel the world during the summer—when I am not teaching—so that I can learn about other cultures and properly reference and include them in my teaching. Knowledge is power, and the more I know about my future students, the better I will be able to include them and make them feel accepted in my classroom.