Generational wealth, to me, is more than just a financial means. It is the ability to pass down memories and experiences to my future kids and grandkids. As much as being able to pass down inheritance and money would help my family, I think the wisdom, memory, and time together are so much more important. I would consider myself very close to my family. Even going to school for almost 12 hours daily, I regularly talk to my family members. Whether it is a text from my mom about the shows we watch together, my brother texting me asking me to edit his essay, or the weekly letters I get from my Gramma, I am always in touch with them. These what may seem like small acts make me feel so much closer to home and make leaving my friends to go home each break something I am excited about because it means I get to see them. I love hearing old family stories and gathering with my extended family, as we often do on my mom's side. For example, this winter break, my family got together and celebrated my Great Uncle's life while bringing together four generations from more than seven different states. While we were gathering in a state of mourning, we could all reflect on memories and go through all the family reunion books and photos we had from over the last 70 years. The traditions such as the bunny mask, the Levering family crest, and the matching t-shirts are all staples. This is the wealth of knowledge and fun that I think must be passed down from one generation to the next. I am also fortunate enough to of met 4 of my great-grandparents. This is a privilege many kids do not get to have, and not only did I get to meet all 4 of them, I have memories of all of them and stories they told me. Unfortunately, my great-grandmom was the last great-grandparent to pass my freshman year of high school. But I was able to create 14 years of memories and hear so many stories about her life. I remember in middle school; I had to interview her about what her life was like growing up, what she used to play with, what school was like, and how different things were. I learned about how much times had changed and got a look at what her family looked like and her husband's dairy business through this project, all stories which I had never heard of but impacted how I view history. From then on, I would try to get another story out of her each time I saw her. This is the type of generational wealth I want to pass on. Money is nice, but memories, stories, and love are priceless and valuable.

When you are learning how to swim you are not thrown into the deep end and expected to be able to keep your head above water. In life, on the other hand, you don’t have that luxury. When you are faced with an obstacle or multiple challenges at once you are put directly into the deep end and have to put all your effort into staying afloat. Keeping your head up even when it seems like the situation is everlasting takes maturity and grit. Just two weeks into my first year of high school, I got a serious concussion in what became my last soccer game ever. This one, unlike the last two, left me unable to read and jumbled my memory. I required a year and a half of therapies and doctors appointments until I could reach my new “normal”. Self-advocacy became a skill that I picked up, as I had to continually explain my situation and limitations to teachers and friends. I was constantly reminded that some people could have a concussion and be over it within a week. As if the headaches weren’t enough of a curveball, I also began to experience knife-wrenching abdominal pain that made it hard to leave bed. This happened for three years every other week with no explanation; there were countless doctors’ appointments to no avail. Sometimes the pain was so bad that food would not even stay down. Yet I still needed to get out of bed and do schoolwork. My second week-long stay in the hospital after losing another 15 pounds...you would think I would have a diagnosis. Yet the “support” I got was being told that the pain I was experiencing was all in my head. Instead of shutting down like I previously would have, I stood up for myself. My persistence paid off, I found a new gynecologic specialist. After four years of struggling to stay afloat and live my day to day life, there was a possible reason-- endometriosis. This is caused when the uterine lining starts growing outside the uterus and on other abdominal areas. Affecting one in 10 women, it is quite common, but symptoms usually do not show until you are in your late 20s. Endometriosis affects and presents itself differently in each patient. I had to go through two different exploratory laparoscopic surgeries to verify the diagnosis and remove the affected tissue. Still, even after being diagnosed, every time I felt the pain I heard the doctor saying it was all in my head. Being a teenager and having an adult tell you something isn’t real can cause extreme self-doubt. I drowned out that voice and continued on until the problem was solved. Balancing these health issues of endometriosis and multiple concussions with my schoolwork forced me to mature much faster than my peers. I was weighed down but I was able to get my head back up above the water. Having to miss a lot of class while out of school and teaching myself the class material taught me how to be resilient. I have dealt with problems that many adults have not had to deal with. Balancing the life of a “normal” teen and a sick one made me work to maintain a sense of normalcy and support myself. But I learned how to do what is best for me as well as how to communicate issues. I have learned to swim without being weighed down by that feeling of drowning and being pushed back under the water.

Feeling like we had the world on our side and any dream we put our mind to is what we all looked forward to as kids. Whether it was playing a sport professionally, being a doctor, or being a teacher, many of the dreams we had growing up were different than where we ended up. Not for me, though; I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in 1st grade. These big dreams I never felt weren't achievable, and I believe all children, regardless of disability or not, should be able to dream big and feel they could do anything they put their heart to. My elementary school had special needs students who would come into our class for certain subjects but stay in their classrooms for other courses. These students were the students who had some learning disabilities or special needs in which they could not stay in a "normal" classroom setting all the time. I remember never thinking of them as any different and wanting to make sure they felt included when they were in our class and participating in activities like "lunch buddies" with them to make sure they had people to play with and eat with. I did not realize it at the time, but that is when I think it clicked that these students should have just as impressive of a school experience as me and my other classmates. When it came to applying to schools, I knew I wanted to be a teacher, but I also knew I wanted to make an everlasting impact on my students' lives. When it comes to kids, I have patience and hope, in which I see all the positive things in which they can accomplish. When I was placed in a special education class for my shadowing in teacher cadets during my senior year of high school, I realized I was meant to be a special education teacher. Not only does this country deserve more teachers with a strong passion and desire to help kids learn, kids with special needs especially deserve a teacher who will give them their all. A teacher who is going to see them as more than a child with a disability or learning disorder, and see them as a child eager to learn and whose only limit is the sky. I cannot only have that hope for them but also motivate them and keep that spark of interest and learning alive is something I cannot wait to do for the rest of my life.

Wanting to be a future educator, a lot of people assume I have always had a passion for helping others, but I genuinely think it was in 5th grade I decided I wanted to be a teacher. My 5th-grade teacher, Mrs. Miller, pushed me to do what she knew I could do in the classroom. When I started the year, I hated writing and reading-- especially writing. While I excelled in other classes, I would put little to no effort into English, and she knew this and did not hesitate to call me out on it. She would make me rewrite a paper if she knew I wrote it to get it over with and did not try. At first, this made me extremely frustrated, but by the end of the year, the growth in my English skills became recognizable. I became more confident in my writing abilities and actually enjoyed my end-of-the-year research project, which I wrote about Arlington National Cemetery. Because of her pushing me when I got to middle school English, while I still did not enjoy it, I was much better at it. My writing skills were able to get me through middle school without the fits I used to through in elementary school. Mrs. Miller seeing my potential and pushing me to become the student she knew I could be, led me to where I am today. I graduated high school Cum Laude and got accepted into college right after Mrs. Miller's passing. I was so excited to tell her about where I was going and how I wanted to be a teacher to make the impact she had on me on other students' lives. I am now a Sophomore at Clemson University, pursuing a degree in both Special Education and Elementary Education while minoring in American Sign Language, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Sometimes we all need a little helping hand and that is what Mrs. Miller was for me, showing me what I was capable of achieving one day, when I did not yet know it myself. She made me want to have the chance to help shape my own students lives one day the way she did mine. I feel believing in my students and knowing the sky is their limit is going to be the key for my students achieving great things one day-- which is my goal as a future educator.

I have always had a passion for helping others, but I genuinely think that when I wanted to be a teacher was in 5th grade. My 5th-grade teacher, Mrs. Miller, pushed me to do what she knew I could do in the classroom. When I started the year, I hated writing and reading-- especially writing. While I excelled in other classes, I would put little to no effort into English, and she knew this and would call me out on it. She would make me rewrite a paper if she knew I wrote it to get it over with and did not try. At first, this made me extremely frustrated, but by the end of the year, the growth in my English skills became recognizable. I became more confident in my writing abilities and actually enjoyed my end-of-the-year research project, which I wrote about Arlington National Cemetery. Because of her pushing me when I got to middle school English, while I still did not enjoy it, I was much better at it. My writing skills were able to get me through middle school without the fits I used to through in elementary school. Mrs. Miller seeing my potential and pushing me to become the student she knew I could be, led me to where I am today. I graduated high school Cum Laude and got accepted into college right after Mrs. Miller's passing. I was so excited to tell her about where I was going and how I wanted to be a teacher to make the impact she had on me on other students' lives. I am now a Sophomore at Clemson University, pursuing a degree in both Special Education and Elementary Education while minoring in American Sign Language, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Sometimes we all need a little helping hand and that is what Mrs. Miller was for me, showing me what I was capable of achieving one day, when I did not yet know it myself. She made me want to have the chance to help shape my own students lives one day the way she did mine. I feel believing in my students and knowing the sky is their limit is going to be the key for my students achieving great things one day-- which is my goal as a future educator.

After completing my math worksheet, my teacher told me to get up and help the other students who were struggling. This became a regular occurrence throughout second grade, and math became my absolute favorite time of the day. I loved being able to help my classmates better understand math concepts. I found satisfaction in being able to answer questions, discuss where they went wrong, and how to fix them going forward. The satisfaction you get after helping someone is one of the purest feelings. This happened every now and then when I was in only second grade, cementing my desire to become a teacher. Not only do I love the satisfaction of helping others, but I feel teachers-- especially at a younger level have a significant impact on the development of their students. The energy given off in a learning environment enhances how a child will view their education down the road. Being given the opportunity from a young age to assist in teaching people with different learning styles made me even more interested in the field of education and sociology as I got older. I am not sure that if I had not gotten this opportunity, I would have chosen the career path I plan to pursue. Helping my classmates learn their multiplication facts in elementary school turned into assisting middle schoolers to do their homework now that I am in high school. Helping people learn satisfies both parties; the student gains new knowledge they now understand, and the teacher is left content with their student’s achievements. I hope to be the person my students need in life, whether that be a cheerleader, a shoulder to cry on, or that extra motivational push. I want to inspire my students the way my fifth-grade teacher pushed me. I genuinely do not think I would be the student I am today if she did not push me to accomplish work I was unaware I was even capable of.

When you are learning how to swim you are not thrown into the deep end and expected to be able to keep your head above water. In life, on the other hand, you don’t have that luxury. When you are faced with an obstacle or multiple challenges at once you are put directly into the deep end and have to put all your effort into staying afloat. Keeping your head up even when it seems like the situation is everlasting takes maturity and grit. Just two weeks into my first year of high school, I got a serious concussion in what became my last soccer game ever. This one, unlike the last two, left me unable to read and jumbled my memory. I required a year and a half of therapies and doctors appointments until I could reach my new “normal”. Self-advocacy became a skill that I picked up, as I had to continually explain my situation and limitations to teachers and friends. I was constantly reminded that some people could have a concussion and be over it within a week. As if the headaches weren’t enough of a curveball, I also began to experience knife-wrenching abdominal pain that made it hard to leave bed. This happened for three years every other week with no explanation; there were countless doctors’ appointments to no avail. Sometimes the pain was so bad that food would not even stay down. Yet I still needed to get out of bed and do schoolwork. My second week-long stay in the hospital after losing another 15 pounds...you would think I would have a diagnosis. Yet the “support” I got was being told that the pain I was experiencing was all in my head. Instead of shutting down like I previously would have, I stood up for myself. My persistence paid off, I found a new gynecologic specialist. After four years of struggling to stay afloat and live my day to day life, there was a possible reason-- endometriosis. This is caused when the uterine lining starts growing outside the uterus and on other abdominal areas. Affecting one in 10 women, it is quite common, but symptoms usually do not show until you are in your late 20s. Endometriosis affects and presents itself differently in each patient. I had to go through two different exploratory laparoscopic surgeries to verify the diagnosis and remove the affected tissue. Still, even after being diagnosed, every time I felt the pain I heard the doctor saying it was all in my head. Being a teenager and having an adult tell you something isn’t real can cause extreme self-doubt. I drowned out that voice and continued on until the problem was solved. Balancing these health issues of endometriosis and multiple concussions with my schoolwork forced me to mature much faster than my peers. I was weighed down but I was able to get my head back up above the water. Having to miss a lot of class while out of school and teaching myself the class material taught me how to be resilient. I have dealt with problems that many adults have not had to deal with. Balancing the life of a “normal” teen and a sick one made me work to maintain a sense of normalcy and support myself. But I learned how to do what is best for me as well as how to communicate issues. I have learned to swim without being weighed down by that feeling of drowning and being pushed back under the water.

When you are learning how to swim you are not thrown into the deep end and expected to be able to keep your head above water. In life, on the other hand, you don’t have that luxury. When you are faced with an obstacle or multiple challenges at once you are put directly into the deep end and have to put all your effort into staying afloat. Keeping your head up even when it seems like the situation is everlasting takes maturity and grit. Just two weeks into my first year of high school, I got a serious concussion in what became my last soccer game ever. This one, unlike the last two, left me unable to read and jumbled my memory. I required a year and a half of therapies and doctors appointments until I could reach my new “normal”. Self-advocacy became a skill that I picked up, as I had to continually explain my situation and limitations to teachers and friends. I was constantly reminded that some people could have a concussion and be over it within a week. As if the headaches weren’t enough of a curveball, I also began to experience knife-wrenching abdominal pain that made it hard to leave bed. This happened for three years every other week with no explanation; there were countless doctors’ appointments to no avail. Sometimes the pain was so bad that food would not even stay down. Yet I still needed to get out of bed and do schoolwork. My second week-long stay in the hospital after losing another 15 pounds...you would think I would have a diagnosis. Yet the “support” I got was being told that the pain I was experiencing was all in my head. Instead of shutting down like I previously would have, I stood up for myself. My persistence paid off, I found a new gynecologic specialist. After four years of struggling to stay afloat and live my day to day life, there was a possible reason-- endometriosis. This is caused when the uterine lining starts growing outside the uterus and on other abdominal areas. Affecting one in 10 women, it is quite common, but symptoms usually do not show until you are in your late 20s. Endometriosis affects and presents itself differently in each patient. I had to go through two different exploratory laparoscopic surgeries to verify the diagnosis and remove the affected tissue. Still, even after being diagnosed, every time I felt the pain I heard the doctor saying it was all in my head. Being a teenager and having an adult tell you something isn’t real can cause extreme self-doubt. I drowned out that voice and continued on until the problem was solved. Balancing these health issues of endometriosis and multiple concussions with my schoolwork forced me to mature much faster than my peers. I was weighed down but I was able to get my head back up above the water. Having to miss a lot of class while out of school and teaching myself the class material taught me how to be resilient. I have dealt with problems that many adults have not had to deal with. Balancing the life of a “normal” teen and a sick one made me work to maintain a sense of normalcy and support myself. But I learned how to do what is best for me as well as how to communicate issues. I have learned to swim without being weighed down by that feeling of drowning and being pushed back under the water.

One thing anyone who knows me will agree on is that I am incapable of doing anything halfway. If I am passionate about something, I will go all in. But that all-in mentality is something I feel has and continues to allow me to leave my mark. In high school, I quit soccer because of injuries and illness. Instead of turning away from soccer and no longer being involved, I continued to manage the team for the remainder of my high school career. I had many people come to me for support when dealing with injuries because I have a different view not many were able to experience. Soccer was my first involvement in high school, as preseason started before I even stepped foot in the school, but it did not end there. I soon joined student government shortly into my first year. I started as a representative and continued to play an active role for the next two years before deciding to run for vice president junior year. Although I did not win, I did not let that stop me from trying the following year again. During senior year, I won and was Vice President of my class during our weird COVID-19 senior year. Although we had prom and graduation, unlike the class before us, it was a lot to make those happen. Whether it was meetings with our superintendent, principal, or school PTA we were able to make our senior year memorable and as normal as possible. Not only were we able to switch to and pull off an outdoor prom venue with short notice we also were able to make our graduation the best it could be. Originally each student was only going to have two tickets for guests. Still, we were able to switch things around and, after many meetings and carefully COVID-19 regulations, get each student to have four tickets and a normal graduation. This passion for planning and leading others did not leave when I walked across the stage at graduation and followed me to Clemson. At Clemson University, I joined a sorority, Kappa Delta. I could never have pictured myself loving being in a sorority as much as I do because of the amount I can be involved in. Within the first four months, I got a leadership position as Director of Collegiate Faculties, putting me in charge of our sorority housing. The person who had the role before me was not the most organized, so I had to work with higher-ups to get yes back up to date and avoid facing any fines. We also have a huge fundraiser for our Philanthropy called Shamrock. Shamrock is when we raise money for 'Prevent Child Abuse America.' I was able to take a role in helping plan our big fundraising event, a 5k. This year our goal was to raise $50,000, setting our goals high, hoping almost to double the amount we raised the prior year. We were able to crush that goal and raise over $81,000, and it was incredible to be a part of that. This year I hope to be on the sorority council, hold an even more prominent position and make more of an impact. An active leader is someone who wants to be involved in any way that they can. They want to be the best version of themselves while pushing those around them to strive for the same. Leadership never stops and is in all aspects of daily life.

When I think of math, my brain goes back to elementary school and memorizing my multiplication tables. My love of math blossomed then, and I loved helping my classmates who didn't understand how to solve the problems. Helping my classmates with their math is where I discovered my passion for teaching-- through math. Math was what was able to show me at a very young age, something that brought me joy and brought my attention to my future career path of teaching. In second grade, when we finished our math worksheet, and the teacher checked it for accuracy, we could go around and help our classmates. Now almost 12 years later, I am on the path to becoming a teacher and helping my future students learn these problems. I lived to help my classmates enhance their understanding. Without math, I never would have found this passion and my love and natural gift for teaching. I was able to help my classmates with problems they were stuck on by explaining them in different ways. I continued to take math classes all throughout high school. I often sat in front of my laptop doing practice problems over and over, trying to understand the math problem in front of me that appeared with more letters than numbers. Math was the class I constantly challenged myself in, and even when I struggled, I loved it. Just because in middle school, the math problems didn't come to me as natural anymore didn't mean I stopped loving math-- instead, I learned lessons from it. Math in middle school allowed me to learn new study skills and explore how I learned the best. High school math allowed me to challenge myself while also learning time management skills as I couldn't spend all day on one problem as I had other things to do. Where some people just see math as numbers and equations, I see it as a subject I have always been passionate about, but that also gave to me. Math has given me my future career plan and many essential skills that I was able to learn sooner rather than late. So while math is an important skill, I am almost more grateful for what it has done for me.

Why do the leaves change color at different times each year? How do squirrels know to hide when they see a hawk flying up above? What causes global warming? In three years of school, the only scientific means I learned about were the steps of mitosis, what the atomic weight of carbon is, and how to calculate momentum. All important things but in what way do they directionally affect me and my environment? This year I had the opportunity to take AP Environmental Science and although we are not unit done this year’s curriculum the way I think about our planet has completely changed. I always thought I was very environmentally conscious and that my carbon footprint could not be that big. I rarely buy new clothes, I try to eat organic, and I only eat chicken no other meat. I always thought little changes like those I just mentioned would help the planet and I was doing my part in controlling my carbon output, but boy was I wrong. In class, we had an assignment where we calculated our ecological footprint. Once we calculated our footprint we were shown how many Earth’s would be needed to support our lifestyle if each individual lived that way. I was quite unsettled to see that 6.95 Earths would be needed to have enough resources to support my lifestyle. That was quite frightening to learn as we only have one Earth’s worth of resources. After hearing some of my classmate’s results I became even more alarmed about our environment. Since I was young my family has always had a garden and I would help get to pick what we grew each year. Instead of buying food from the store using our food from ou garden is not only better for the environment but for our body. After learning about the negative effects my activity was making on the environment I thought more about how I could limit my pollution. I began to do small things such as talk to my parents about environmentally friendly electronics, limiting my water usage, and not buying new clothes when I don’t need them. The fact that this is not a class everyone takes and not everyone sees the negative effects they have on the environment is scary to me. But I am going to continue doing my part and spreading ecological positivity to my friends and family. I am glad I learned about my negative contribution on this Earth as early as I did before it was too late to change anything.

I am proud to be a woman because without us there would be no one. People often underestimate us but we are are new life is brought onto the Earth. I am proud of us for taking a stand and demanding the equality we deserve.

Religion is something in which each person and family participates in their own way. All through school I’ve had friends who were Catholic, Jewish, Luthern, etc. I would constantly have to explain to people the difference between a Catholic church and mine-- a Presbyterian Church. Growing up in a church you know that not only God but your church community has your back. I have been involved in my church community my whole life. When I was three I started going to Sunday school where we learned about the Bible, while connecting it to crafts and other fun activities. At four I started participating in the youth choir. We met for rehearsals once a week and performed about once a month during services. Through these activities, I always looked up to the older kids who volunteered to help out with the younger kids. I thought they were the coolest people and wanted to be just like them. When I was in middle school I started volunteering every summer to work at my church’s vacation bible school program. I helped lead and mentor the younger children in prayer and bible study activities while keeping it fun. After 5 years of volunteering for the summer week-long program, the pastor offered me a job to run the nursery for the children under three. While the parents were at the church service they entrusted another girl and me to watch and care for their kids. My co-director and I quickly learned that we shared a bond over our struggle from post concussion syndrome. This and many other bonds with people in my church community are special to me. Growing up in a community of faith led me to form many personal relationships and gave me a desire to share my faith with others.

After completing my math worksheet my teacher told me to get up and help the other students who were struggling. Throughout second grade this became a regular occurrence and math became my absolute favorite time of the day. I loved being able to help my classmates better understand math concepts. I found satisfaction in being able to answer questions, discuss where they went wrong, and how to fix it going forward. The satisfaction you get after helping someone is one of the purest feelings. This happened every now and then when I was in only second grade--cementing my want to become a teacher. Not only do I love the satisfaction of helping others but I feel teachers-- especially at a younger level have a huge impact on the development of their students. The energy that is given off in a learning environment enhances how a child will view their education down the road. Being given the opportunity from a young age to assist in teaching people with different learning styles made me even more interested in the field of education and sociology as I got older. I am not sure that if I had not gotten this opportunity I would have chosen the career path I plan to pursue. Helping my classmates learn their multiplication facts in elementary school, turned into me helping middle schoolers do their homework now that I am in high school. Helping people learn satisfies both parties; the student gains new knowledge they now understand and the teacher is left content with their student’s achievements.

My cat Blaze is my best friend. My cousins found him and his siblings in a bush at swim and sent my parents pictures. By the time I convinced my dad to let me get one they were all gone. I loved the little orange cat but I was so sad when I found out he had a home. I later found my soccer teammate was fostering him and they were not keeping them and I found out at the end of one of our games they were giving him to me. Our team's name was Blaze-- hence his name.

When you are learning how to swim you are not thrown into the deep end and expected to be able to keep your head above water. In life, on the other hand, you don’t have that luxury. When you are faced with an obstacle or multiple challenges at once you are put directly into the deep end and have to put all your effort into staying afloat. Keeping your head up even when it seems like the situation is everlasting takes maturity and grit. Just two weeks into my first year of high school, I got a serious concussion in what became my last soccer game ever. This one, unlike the last two, left me unable to read and jumbled my memory. I required a year and a half of therapies and doctors appointments until I could reach my new “normal”. Self-advocacy became a skill that I picked up, as I had to continually explain my situation and limitations to teachers and friends. I was constantly reminded that some people could have a concussion and be over it within a week. As if the headaches weren’t enough of a curveball, I also began to experience knife-wrenching abdominal pain that made it hard to leave bed. This happened for three years every other week with no explanation; there were countless doctors’ appointments to no avail. Sometimes the pain was so bad that food would not even stay down. Yet I still needed to get out of bed and do schoolwork. My second week-long stay in the hospital after losing another 15 pounds...you would think I would have a diagnosis. Yet the “support” I got was being told that the pain I was experiencing was all in my head. Instead of shutting down like I previously would have, I stood up for myself. My persistence paid off, I found a new gynecologic specialist. After four years of struggling to stay afloat and live my day to day life, there was a possible reason-- endometriosis. This is caused when the uterine lining starts growing outside the uterus and on other abdominal areas. Affecting one in 10 women, it is quite common, but symptoms usually do not show until you are in your late 20s. Endometriosis affects and presents itself differently in each patient. I had to go through two different exploratory laparoscopic surgeries to verify the diagnosis and remove the affected tissue. Still, even after being diagnosed, every time I felt the pain I heard the doctor saying it was all in my head. Being a teenager and having an adult tell you something isn’t real can cause extreme self-doubt. I drowned out that voice and continued on until the problem was solved. Balancing these health issues of endometriosis and multiple concussions with my schoolwork forced me to mature much faster than my peers. I was weighed down but I was able to get my head back up above the water. Having to miss a lot of class while out of school and teaching myself the class material taught me how to be resilient. Teaching myself and having the support I had from my teachers makes me want to give my students that. I have dealt with problems that many adults have not had to deal with. Balancing the life of a “normal” teen and a sick one made me work to maintain a sense of normalcy and support myself. But I learned how to do what is best for me as well as how to communicate issues. I have learned to swim without being weighed down by that feeling of drowning and being pushed back under the water.

In today’s world many aspects of life are changing from day to day. As a future teacher, I have become aware of the amount of extra work and flexibility that has been demanded of teachers during these unprecedented times. If you told a current teacher back when they were in college they would be teaching their students fully remote they would have probably laughed in your face. There is no way anyone could have predicted it but now it is a reality for so much of this country. I believe that University will teach me how to be flexible and work on the fly and deal with any obstacle thrown my way. One possibility of a job that may come out of the coronavirus is full remote learning. Even if the world returns to normal the ability to learn online will always be beneficial for some students. Online learning definitely benefits students under special circumstances, such as those with a chronic illness. Children with a chronic illness often end up falling behind in school. This has little to do with the workload, but more the inability to gather enough energy to leave bed or sit up and move around throughout the day. The option of online learning would help these students; not only physically, but mentally as well because it alleviates the stress about falling behind. Instead of missing class and having to teach themselves the material they can watch the online lesson when they feel up to it. Chronic illness patients are just one group positively affected by online school. I think after experiencing a different style of learning the field of education is going to make some long-overdue changes. Whether that is implementing an online class option for students going forward or any other change I know college will help prepare me for it. After I graduate into the world I know I will be trained in every possible area of the current and future job market. Hypothetically by the time I graduate there may be online teaching jobs available; knowing college gave me all the skills I need to succeed on any path I choose to go on. Education has been looked at one way for a long period of history. Innovation is right around the corner and when I think about a college I know will provide me with the tools I need--. Being provided with how one learns and thinks during my studies is very important for me to be successful down the road. Also having an Aunt who took this path and who speaks highly of the university makes me even more interested. After hearing about the great relationship your university has with nearby school districts in all different communities I am confident I will be prepared for anything my future job throws my way. Thinking not only about today but the future is not done often enough.

In today’s world, many aspects of life are changing from day to day. As a future teacher, I have become aware of the amount of extra work and flexibility that has been demanded of teachers during these unprecedented times. If you told a current teacher back when they were in college they would be teaching their students fully remote they would have probably laughed in your face. There is no way anyone could have predicted it but now it is a reality for so much of this country. I believe that the University will teach me how to be flexible and work on the fly and deal with any obstacle thrown my way. One possibility of a job that may come out of the coronavirus is full remote learning. Even if the world returns to normal the ability to learn online will always be beneficial for some students. Online learning definitely benefits students under special circumstances, such as those with a chronic illness. Children with a chronic illness often end up falling behind in school. This has little to do with the workload, but more the inability to gather enough energy to leave bed or sit up and move around throughout the day. The option of online learning would help these students; not only physically, but mentally as well because it alleviates the stress about falling behind. Instead of missing class and having to teach themselves the material they can watch the online lesson when they feel up to it. Chronic illness patients are just one group positively affected by online school. I think after experiencing a different style of learning the field of education is going to make some long-overdue changes. Whether that is implementing an online class option for students going forward or any other change I know the college will help prepare me for it. After I graduate and go out into the world I know I will be trained in every possible area of the current and future job market. Hypothetically by the time I graduate, there may be online teaching jobs available; I know college will provide me with all the skills I need to succeed on any path I choose to go on. Education has been looked at one way for a long period of history. Innovation is right around the corner and when I think about a college I know will provide me with the tools I need-- college that comes to mind. Being provided with how one learns and thinks during my studies is very important for me to be successful down the road. Also having an Aunt who took this path and who speaks highly of the university makes me even more interested. After hearing about the great relationship your university has with nearby school districts in all different communities I am confident I will be prepared for anything my future job throws my way. Thinking not only about today but the future is not done often enough. Going to college will provide me with any skills I will need for any and all of my future jobs; whether or not those jobs exist today.

Their smiles fill my screen each morning I join their class. This year, my school partnering up with an Elementary School in the district to allow High School seniors--like who are interested in becoming a teacher to student teach. We were randomly assigned to classes of students of different ages and different skill levels. When I found out my assignment was third through fifth-grade special education and was over the moon to see how a teacher dealt with students who may struggle more than your average student-- especially virtually. I quickly was able to see the potential paired with their willingness to learn I knew these students were going to achieve great things. The smile on each of their faces is unpaired with any smile I had seen before--something I want to see the rest of my life. Children suffering from special-needs just because they're struggling doesn't mean that they don't deserve the same treatment, if anything they are more eager to learn. I can definitely see this program making me want to work with even more children like them. Each morning I sign up for their class I'm greeted with screams, smiles, and “Hi Ms. Julia’s”!! Being able to inspire people who may have to work two times harder to achieve something a “ normal” person may find easy is something I really want to do. The joy they experience is contagious and radiants into your own life. I feel being a part of this program will not only make me a better teacher but a better human being. Throughout High School, I have had a 504 plan due to anxiety and multiple concussions. I understand on some level what these children are going through, and just want to be able to make a difference and put a smile on their face. Being able to see that every person whether they are “normal” or need a little bit more attention is something that is extremely important. Being able to help others especially those who may need an extra push is a skill I want to bring into my future classroom and my life in general.