My third grade teacher, Julie Vislisel, showed me an unmatchable love when no one else at school was. Third grade was the year I switch schools, from a large district where the friends were endless to a very small school where the cliches were already made. I had a really hard time transitioning from one school to the next that year, but Mrs.V was always there for me. We hung out during lunch and recess almost everyday. She is a big inspiration to me especially now as I am pursuing a degree in Elementary Education. When I sit here and think about all of the things that have inspired me to go to college, one main reason comes to my mind: I want to be a chain-breaker. I come from a long line of angery people who drink and smoke and take their pain out on their families. My dad has always been a big-time workaholic and he took his anger out on myself, my siblings and mother. Neither of my parents, or any of my grandparents, went to college. Neither of my parents, or any of my grandparents, were ever smart with money either. Both of those factors led to our house of six living paycheck-to-paycheck. I can remember many arguments between my parents about finances, and that is an extremely hard thing for a child to go through. I carry lots of trauma and pain from argumentative parents and a verbally abusive dad. That is a life that I never want to see my children grow up in, and that right there is why I want to be a chain-breaker. Life doesn’t have to be painful, and marriage doesn’t have to be full of conflict. My children will grow up in a home with two educated parents, who love one another, who have stable jobs and who are smart with their money. Going to college to me means so much more than just my future, but the future for my children and my children’s children. I want to be a teacher so that can be a light and a source of love and validation for children who don’t get that at home, like myself when I was young. To many children these days have divorced parents or angry parents who don’t make time for their kids, and I want to be someone that can help those kids know that they are important, worth it, valued, and loved. That is the impact that I hope to make on the world, and it starts by going to college.