Pablo Picasso once said, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” I have numerous gifts I plan on offering my community. I have the gift of working with children. I have experience volunteering and working with kids. I spent over two years working on Ellsworth Airforce Base at the Child Development Center. This fall I will be a senior at Black Hills State University. I am majoring in Elementary Education. In the fall, I will be placed at Douglas Francis Case Elementary, where I will be in a first-grade classroom. Right now, I am in-between communities. My husband is in the air force and received orders to McConnell Airforce Base in Kansas. I will finish the fall semester in Rapid City South Dakota. After the fall semester my college has agreed to let me, student teach in Kansas. In December I will officially move to Kansas. I have the gift of helping others. My husband and I have helped numerous people. We welcomed in my husband’s coworkers who were struggling with their mental health. We provided a safe environment for them to talk and decompress. Over the past year we have had multiple people come and live with us. We welcomed in a military friend going through financial struggles and a former military member who got discharged due to diabetes who needed a place to stay so he could figure out his next steps. Our home will always be a welcoming and safe place for others, even animals. This year a friend of mine got deployed to England so we welcomed in her pug named Mable. No matter where the military takes my husband and I, we plan on giving back to the community.

I fit the stereo-type of a "granola-girl". I am the happiest outdoors. I am blessed to live in Rapid City, South Dakota which has the beautiful Black Hills. The Black Hills are overflowing with evergreens and vivid scenery. The majority of my hobbies involve nature. I adore gardening. I help my dad grow tomatoes, corn, pumpkins, lettuce and spinach. I help tend the garden and water it. The process of new-growth is so exciting for me. Growth takes patience. I collect plants. Currently, I have over thirty houseplants. I read books about caring for houseplants and how to propagate plants. Nurturing plants is incredibly relaxing for me. Incorporating nature indoors makes my home feel very tranquil. I have numerous hobbies that involve nature. I rock climb. Outdoor rock climbing gives me so much adrenaline. The views I have seen rock climbing are truly breathtaking. I hike. There are so many gorgeous hiking areas nearby. Enjoying fresh air and a good view do wonders for my mental health. I longboard around my neighborhood while walking my dog. I kayak with my family. Being on the water is incredibly peaceful. I hammock and relax between trees. I look forward to discovering more hobbies that involve nature. I always respect the earth. I take responsibility for trash I bring out into nature. I not only take on the responsibility of myself but for others as well. If I see trash I pick it up. I recycle. I firmly believe in reduce, reuse and recycle. I encourage and educate others on the importance of recycling. Nature does wonders for me. My mental health improves drastically by being outdoors. I believe in the importance of taking care of the Earth. We need to take better care of our Earth so future generations can enjoy it.

I have struggled with my mental health ever since my teenage years. At times I questioned if life was worth living. I was unsure about my life's purpose. I have since discovered what fuels my life. I have big goals for my future. My husband Kentrell, is a huge motivator in my life. He has brought my life so much joy. This July we will have been married for three years. Having a consistent person to rely on has improved my life drastically. Together we videogame, travel, go on dates and experience everyday life. Together we got a corgi named Benji. I love taking Benji on walks or on hikes. Benji is my bestfriend. I enjoy spending time with my husband and my dog. I take Benji to the dog park. I take Benji as many places as I can. He loves going for car rides. The gym has recently become a big part of my life. I workout at least five days of the week. Working out is a huge stress reliver for me. I love the confidence the gym gives me. I enjoy seeing the progress I make in the gym I believe my purpose in life is to love. Whether it is loving myself, my husband, my dog, my family or my students. I want to spread kindness. I want to make others smile. No matter how small the act, I hope to brighten someone's day. I want to have a career where I go to work knowing I am making a difference in the world. This is why I am majoring in elementary education. I am so close to making this goal a reality. I am expected to graduate May 2023. I am excited for my future.

As a current childcare provider, I am constantly encouraging children. I push children to be independent. I encourage them while they are trying new things. Trying new things can be a scary. I work with children from birth to five years old. Helping children reach new milestones is a huge part of my job. Some milestones include, crawling, walking, riding bikes, and potty training. I get the privilege of encouraging children to reach new milestones each day. I help talk children through activities. I offer explanations and my support. When I see a child making steps towards a milestone I offer my praise and excitement. Excitement rubs off. I help children understand the progress they have made. I remind children that not everyone grows at the same rate. Everyday, I make an effort to let each child know I am excited they are at daycare. It is my goal to make each child feel important. Some children need more affection, or attention than others. I try my best to make sure I give each child the support they need. I work hard to create an inclusive environment for all my children. I give lots of hugs at my job. I offer my empathy and sympathy to children. I smile. I work hard to model a positive attitude and a growth mindset to my children. Reaching new milestones can be challenging, I remind children just because they can't do something yet doesn't mean they won't be able to. Progress takes time. I love my job. I am passionate about the future generation, which is why I am majoring in elementary education. I hope to make a difference in my student’s lives and my community. I will offer my future students support and encouragement to push them to succeed.

I am a dreamer. I am constantly discovering new things to add to my bucket list. I have numerous goals for my future. I hope to accomplish many things. I have already checked off important things from my bucket list. I graduated high school in 2017 and got accepted into college. I fell in love. I married my best friend Kentrell. We got our first dog together. Who is a spoiled Corgi named Benji. We got our first house. I went spelunking in a cave. I learned how to rock climb. I got to ride in an airplane. I went cliff jumping. These are just a few goals I have accomplished. I will soon be checking off another goal. I have lived in South Dakota my entire life; my husband is in the Airforce, and we received orders to move to Wichita Kansas. This summer I will be able to check off, "live in a different state." Something at the top of my bucket list is to see the ocean. I hope to visit many countries. I want to visit all 50 states. I hope to purchase an RV and visit all the national parks. One of the most important goals on my bucket list is to graduate college. I am expected to graduate college May 2023. Receiving this scholarship would help me check off, "Graduate College" from my bucket list. After graduation I hope to become employed at an elementary school. I will be able to check off "Become a teacher" from my bucket list. I can't wait for all of life's adventures. I will continue to dream big. I hope to teach my future students to dream big. I hope to encourage those around me to go after their dreams. Your dreams are worth chasing.

I teach my students that diversity is a beautiful thing. One way I support diversity and equality at my job is by reading inclusive books. One of my favorite books to read to students is the Colors of Us by Karen Katz. My preschool students love reading this book. This book is about a seven-year-old girl named Lena. Lena paints a picture of herself. She uses brown paint to paint her skin. Throughout the book Lena and her mom notice the variations of skin tones of people throughout their neighborhood. Karen Katz uses descriptive language to describe different skin tones. This book encourages my students to talk about their differences and their similarities. I foster relationships with each of my students. I get to know them individually. I get to know their guardians and their immediate family members. I learn about their home life, their pets, their hobbies, and their interests. I do not treat each child the same. Some children need more help than others. Some children need more attention. I find out each child's personal needs and do my best to provide them with the tools they need to succeed. In our classroom we display a family wall. Students bring in photos of their own personal families and we display them for the class to see. The "family wall" allows for all students to feel included and represented in the classroom. As a class we invite family members to come in and talk about family traditions. As a childcare worker I make sure to have positive interactions with families and include them as much as possible. As a current child-care worker and future teacher it is my goal to create an inclusive classroom where all my students are respected and valued. I will celebrate diversity and promote equality.

Growing up my mom always taught me to count my blessings. I never realized the importance of this small act until I got older. I realized when you look for "the good" in your life, the easier it is to find. I still follow this advice my mom taught me. On my phone in my notes app, I have list of my blessings. This list started out small, but than grew exponentially. I have faced numerous challenges throughout my life. A recent challenge I have faced is my husbands deployment. My husband serves in the Air Force. My husband deployed for 7 months to Qatar. During this difficult time I looked for the good. I focused on the positives. I was close to my family. I was able to build my relationship with my parents and my brother. The deployment allowed me to grow my independence. During my husbands deployment, I was able to discover new hobbies I enjoyed. I became very passionate about taking care of house plants. I also started rock-climbing in my free time. I will be facing a new challenge soon. My husband has received orders to move to Kansas this summer. I will be staying in South Dakota to finish my education. We will be apart again. Although this is unfortunate, I am still seeking out the good. I am blessed to have a caring husband. I am blessed to be near my family. I am blessed to be able to attend college and further my education. I am joyful that I will be able to visit my husband on long weekends. I am grateful our time difference will not be an issue. I am optimistic for my future. I look for life's blessings around me. I know there are many more coming.

I have struggled with my body-image and my self worth ever since high school. The last two years I have worked hard to change that. Confidence to me is feeling secure in yourself. Confidence is being proud of who you are and being comfortable in your own skin. Confident people are able to embrace their flaws and work on them. One strategy that has helped me improve my body image is limiting my social media time. I have a timer set on phone that only allows me to view Instagram for an hour only. This past January I deleted my Tik-Tok and Snapchat account and instead replaced it with Duo-lingo (where I am currently learning Spanish).Social media causes me to compare myself to others in a unhealthy way. Limiting my social media time has drastically helped with my confidence. I only seek out my own validation, rather than seeking validation from others on the internet. Another strategy that has helped me increase my self-confidence is becoming invested in the gym. Over two years ago I got a planet fitness membership and started teaching myself how to workout by watching you-tube videos. I am now very passionate about the gym. I love how it makes me feel, it has become a huge part of my life. The gym also benefits my mental health. I feel more confident in my body and strong. Over the past two years I have taken time to learn about myself. I do things alone. I have explored new hobbies. I found out I am really into house plants. I started rock climbing. I will continue to learn more about myself and do things that help me grow my self confidence. I hope to teach others how to love themselves and be their own personal best friend.

How do I want to be remembered? What will people say about me? What did I accomplish in life? I have thought a lot about what type of legacy I wish to leave behind. I am incredibly ambitious and hope to leave behind numerous legacies. I want to leave behind a legacy of a caring teacher. I want to be a teacher who makes every student feel like a somebody. I hope students look back and remember me as a teacher who believed in them and thought they were special. I want former students to remember me as the teacher who made a difference in their life. I want my students to remember me as the teacher who helped them grow. I want to leave behind a legacy of being a loving mother, wife and friend. I want to give my all to those closest to me. I want to be remembered as kind, caring, patient and generous individual. I want to be remembered by how strongly I love. I want to love generously. I want my home to be a welcoming place. I want others to remember, how I welcomed them in. I want to leave behind a legacy of helping others. I truly hope, everyone who comes into my life, leaves a little bit better because of me. I want to do the little things for others. I want to share smiles with strangers. I want to hold doors open. I want to give all I can. I want to leave the world a better place. I am not perfect; I will not be perfect. But every day, I will try to live to leave behind a meaningful legacy. I will positively impact those around me. My legacy will be one to be remembered.

I am employed on Ellsworth Airforce Base at the CDC, where I work with children ages birth to five years old. Every day I go to work, and I help children. I take care of their physical and emotional needs. I comfort children when they are upset or injured. I feed and change infants. I listen to children. I engage in meaningful conversations. I share smiles and laughs. I love my job; I love taking care of children. Helping others comes very natural to me. I want to spread kindness. I love making others smile. I have a passion for our future generation. That is why I have chosen to be a teacher. I am majoring in elementary education. I am currently a junior. I am set to graduate May 2023. My future career will focus on helping others. I will invest my time and energy into my students. I am passionate about being a great role model for students. I want to motivate and encourage all my students to become the best versions of themselves. I want to help my students grow and progress. I want to make the world a better place. I help military families and their children. I offer them my support and guidance. I take care of children's physical and emotional needs at my job. I am continuing my education so I can step into the classroom. As a future teacher I will help all my students. I have and will continue to help others. I can’t wait for what my future holds.

I have so much to be thankful for in my life. I currently have been working on having gratitude for all that I have. In today's society, it is very easy to stay in a state of "want". Whether it's wanting the next promotion, better clothes, bigger house or faster car. I want to be content with what I have. One thing I do to help stop myself from comparing my life to others is limiting my social media time on my cellphone. This may sound silly, but I've found the less time I compare my life to others the more grateful I am for the life I have. I constantly have to remind myself of the many blessings I have. One way I do this is by creating a list. I have a gratitude list in my note's app on my phone. I read through this often. I look specifically for things I can add on to the list. When you look for good things, it makes it easier to find them. My list started out very small. It has tripled in size. I vocalize the good in my life, I do not just internalize them. I thank the people around me. I appreciate the time and energy that people invest in me. I express my gratitude to my loved ones for being a part of my life. I want to continue working on being a grateful person. I want to appreciate every-good thing that comes my way. I will continue to seek out the good. I will continue to appreciate all that I have.

I would describe myself as an empath. Having been through numerous hardships in life helps me relate and empathize with others. I currently work with children. I work with children from birth to the age of five. Every day I use empathy. Once I get to know a child, or an adult I am quick to pick up on their mannerisms. I am quick to tell the person's emotions or feelings. I can tell when my kids are angry, sad, happy or irritated. I am able to imagine what they are thinking or feeling. I can picture myself in their shoes. Every day I validate my students' feelings. I tell them it is okay to feel that way. If a child is upset or sad, I tell them it is okay to feel sad. I relate to my students by saying, “even Miss Janna feels sad sometimes.” One way I help children understand empathy is by talking about other people's feelings and emotions. If a child shares a toy with a friend I say, look how happy you made them, do you see that they are smiling. If a child is sad, I comfort them. I give them hugs (if wanted). I encourage children around to also comfort the child who is feeling sad. I also give children words of reassurance. Empathy is such an important trait to have. I get the privilege of using and teaching empathy to children at my job. As a future teacher I will get to use empathy with my students. The world can be a better place if people are more understanding of one another. I get to go to work every day and treat my students with kindness and understanding. My career will allow me to model and teach empathy in the classroom.

After an exhausting day filled with work and school I love coming home and taking a warm shower. My self care routine focuses on taking care of my skin. I lather up my luffa and scrub away the days worries. All my negative thoughts are washed away by a fragrant body wash. Doing skincare is incredibly relaxing for me. I love the feeling of clean skin. I first apply body-oil and than lotion all over my skin to lock in moisture. On my face I apply a toner than a facial serum. I take my smooth gua sha facial tool and rub the serum deep into my pores. Once I complete my gua sha routine I put on a face mask. In order to feel relaxed I throw on my husbands incredibly baggy sweatpants and an oversized tee shirt. I spray detangler on my hair and brush out all the tangles. Next I put my hair in a satin bonnet. After all these steps I feel incredibly comfortable. I relax by snuggling with my corgi named Benji who is my registered support animal. My mental health is incredibly important to me, I am diagnosed with both depression and anxiety. I do multiple things to manage my anxiety and depression. I currently take medication. In the past I've gone to therapy. I take my dog for walks. I go for relaxing hikes in the tranquil Black Hills. I go the gym. The gym has recently become a big part of my life. I workout at least five days out of the week. Exercise is one way I arm able to release life's stresses. I focus on taking care of my body and my mind. I am worth it, I want do do good things for myself. My life is worth living.

My name is Janna Lester. I am twenty-two years old. I am a military spouse. My husband is in the air force. Currently I am employed on Ellsworth Airforce Base at the Child Development Center, where am a caregiver to children birth to five years old. I have a passion for our future generation. I am majoring in elementary education. I am currently a junior. I am set to graduate May 2023. My husband has received orders to move to Kansas this summer. I am going to remain in South Dakota for the fall semester in order to finish my education. My college has agreed to let me finish my student teaching in Kansas. Finishing my degree will allow me to step into the classroom and help make the world a better place. I love working with children. I will get the opportunity to go to work every day and make a difference in student's lives. I will be able to provide students a safe environment where they can be themselves. I have big goals for my future. I see myself teaching across the United States and even the world. My husband and I hope to receive orders one day overseas. I picture myself teaching on military instillations if possible. My main goal throughout my future career is to leave a positive impact wherever I go. I hope students will remember me, as a teacher who genuinely cared and pushed them to succeed.

My name is Janna Lester. I am twenty-two years old. I am a military spouse. My husband is in the air force. Currently I am employed on Ellsworth Airforce Base at the Child Development Center. I get the wonderful job of looking after military children and their families. I have a passion for our future generation. I have chosen to major in Elementary Education. I am currently a junior. I am working hard to become a future teacher. I was led to teaching for multiple reasons. My mother was an elementary school teacher throughout my childhood. In high school I was able to volunteer at her school. While volunteering I saw firsthand what teachers really do, and what they are responsible for. Elementary teachers set the tone for children to either develop a love learning or hate learning. After obtaining my degree, I will have the opportunity to go to work every day to positively impact children's lives. I have many traits and characteristics that help make teachers great. I have love, support, kindness, patience, and encouragement to offer my future students. It is my goal to make learning fun. I will provide a safe environment for children to be themselves. My genuine heart will be my strongest asset as I head into my teaching career. Students desperately need to be loved and encouraged. Students will feel accepted and comfortable in my classroom. I have an enthusiastic and positive attitude. I am thrilled to watch and assist my students in becoming the best versions of themselves. I am going into this career for the right reasons. I hope to make my classroom, community and world a better place. I cannot wait to step into the classroom! I am excited for my future career.

As a future educator, educational inequity is a challenge I will stand against. I believe everyone should have access to education if they want it. Everyone should have the opportunity to better themselves. I truly believe in the power of education. Educational inequity affects all grade levels and ages. The college level is drastically affected by inequity. Most people wish to attend college the only obstacle in their way is the financial aspect. If we fight to end inequity in education it will improve society as a whole. The more educated people the better. Standing against educational inequity increases equality. Is inequity in education the same as inequality? Nope think again. Inequality and inequality in education are two different things. According to (Teach for America) “Equality implies that everyone is treated the same and that all students are given the same support, same curriculum, same resources, and same funding to succeed. "Equity aims to ensure that where you were born, your parents’ income, or the color of your skin does not predict whether you will succeed in school. " After hearing this explanation it clicked for me. Not everyone should receive the same funds. Funds should be allocated so everyone has the chance to succeed. This is the reason I support facing educational inequity. This is how we help level the playing field. This is the way we help our future generations. This is how we make our country great. Sources https://www.teachforamerica.org/stories/educational-inequity-facts

My name is Janna Lester. I am eager to participate in this essay to share my passions and goals for the future. I have big aspirations to make the world a better place. I am an imperfect person who is simply trying to be better than yesterday. I have a love of children and a passion for teaching. I know teaching is my calling. I cannot wait to step into the classroom. I am currently in school to finish my degree in elementary education. I am a junior. When I finish my degree I hope to become a kindergarten or first grade teacher. In high school I was able to volunteer at an elementary school, which helped me decide my future career. While volunteering I saw the incredible work teachers do everyday. Teachers are not just educators, they have so many other important roles. Teachers can provide a safe space for children to be themselves. Not every child is blessed with a perfect home life, this is why a teacher's role can be so influential. Teachers can provide consistency for their students. Teachers can help children socialize and have positive interactions with their peers. A good teacher can make learning fun and not a chore. I want to be a teacher to help encourage my students to become the best version of themselves possible. I have a passion for working with children. I currently work with children ages birth to five years old. I am employed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, where I work at the Child Development Center. It is a rewarding job. I love going to work everyday to love on children. I have an appreciation of children as I know how much potential they possess. These tiny humans are going to be our future generation one day. They will go on to impact our communities, and our world. This is why teaching is so powerful. It is important to help guide children and give them the tools they need to be great. It is an honor to work with the upcoming generation. Everyone can think of a teacher who has impacted them. One day I hope my students will look back and remember how I impacted them. I hope to make my students feel intelligent and capable. It is my goal to teach my students the importance of kindness. I will not be a perfect teacher. I will make mistakes. I will learn from them. It is my goal that everyone who steps into my classroom will walk out being more compassionate, kind and empowered for their future. My students will be better than they were yesterday.

Activism has become very important in my life. I have been an ally to the Black Lives Matter movement for a few years now. It has been so unfortunate seeing the news play out these past few months. I truly believe we are living through the future history books. What broke my heart most was seeing the confederate flag fly so proudly in the capitol building on January 6, 2021. As Will Smith said best, “Racism Is Not Getting Worse, It's Getting Filmed.” This matter has become even closer to my heart as I got married in July of 2019. My husband just so happens to be African American. I have experienced white privilege my whole life. A distinct memory I have of learning about my white privilege is, going to Denver, Colorado on vacation with my husband. We had just been to a giant arcade. I had won a rubber band gun. I remember having so much fun shooting the rubber bands at my husband. As we were walking out on the street, I took the gun out and shot him with a rubber band. He panicked. He yelled at me, which is out of character for my husband. He told me to put the gun away. I realized he was afraid. He was afraid of even being near a toy gun as a black man. Wow, what privilege I have had to never know that fear. Tamir Rice is an example of this. Tamir Rice was a twelve-year-old African American boy who was shot and killed for holding a toy airsoft gun. I have never experienced these fears, that people of color have every day. I have never had to panic while being pulled over by the police. Now, I have that fear for my husband. I have that fear for my family. I have that fear for my friends. They should not have to be afraid. It is heartbreaking to see systematic oppression and blatant racism towards the love of life. I think this issue really hit home for me, when I saw it affecting him my family and my friends. This is when I knew I needed to start speaking up. This is when I realized I needed to use my platform no matter how small, to help others discover the truth. I hope I can help those around me see the injustice in our society. I personally have been striving to change my family's viewpoints on the BLM movement. My parents are white, middle class Americans, who have lived in South Dakota almost their whole lives. They do not believe in white privilege and do not support BLM. They do not understand the rioting and the looting. They do not understand the anger, as they have never experienced racism due to their skin color. These conversations I have with them usually end the same, with let us agree to disagree. One of these days I hope they finally can see the truth. I hope before I have kids of my own, they understand the disadvantage my children will have to face, due to their skin color. The ways I am taking action may seem small in the grand scheme of things, as I am only one person. If everyone also started taking these actions, it could help change the world for the better. Anoter action I have been taking is to educate myself. Unsurprisingly, I was not taught about the problem of racism in our country. I was not educated about the unequal opportunities and systems of oppression in the United States. The first thing I had to do was unlearn all my teachings from my parents and even our education system. So, I had to do my own research. I read books and researched articles online. Another action I have taken to improve the world around me is to sign petitions. I joined the email for Black Lives Matter Global. This organization sends me emails sharing what people can do to help the cause. I have signed petitions for justice for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Once you sign the petition, the organization asks that you post the petition on your social media. I have posted these petitions on my social media. Another way I have attempted to better our world is using my social media as a platform to spread awareness to Black Lives Matter. I am no where near being a so called, “social media influencer.” I have a very small platform, but I still try and post things that could help others question their beliefs. I will continue to bring up uncomfortable conversations with those around me, join organizations that are helping spread awareness, continue to educate myself and use my small social media platform to bring attention to important issues. I hope my small actions will be able to help make a better community around me. As Martin Luther King said, I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” I really hope that one day his quote can be reality, in the meantime we can focus on what we can do to help change the world around us.