I have wanted to be a teacher since I was inspired by great teachers in high school. They saw that I was passionate about words, numbers and art and helped me to explore math, literature and music, and to experiment with how they intertwined. They introduced me to world views and complex ideas. They also had faith in my abilities to lead and supported me when I was president of the Drama Club and our rock band. As I began to show leadership of the school and our senior class, I was mentored and eventually was awarded the Spirit of Baruch Award for exemplifying the school's core beliefs of empathy, community, excellence. I have a passion for people and community building and understand that is a big part of any workplace, but especially a school. As a future special education teacher I look forward to supporting my students in exploring their interests and developing their strengths, as well as adding to the school community. I also look forward to helping them see beyond the school community into the world at large through the materials we read, events we attend, volunteering we do together. I will be living on a teacher's salary in New York City where cost of living is very high; I am trying not to take out student loans every semester, which is what I have had to do so far, with my parents taking out additional Parent Loans. I work a few hours a week in addition to carrying a full load of credits in order to pay for transportation and miscellaneous expenses. My parents pay for books and fees. Any scholarship or grant money is greatly appreciated.