When reading this scholarship prompt, a few things came to mind, but one stood out to me in particular. I joined band in the sixth grade and absolutely loved it! I was always one of the top chairs and loved playing music. Then, COVID hit during my seventh grade year, my first year in middle school. As you can imagine, the middle school awkwardness hit hard. I started hating band and started declining in my abilities. I got made fun of a lot and started to think I should just quit. My mom told me to wait until high school and see how I feel about marching band. Finally, high school marching band came. I was extremely nervous but also so excited! Even though people teased me about being in band and about not knowing exactly what I was doing, I tried my best to ignore them and to just try my best. I loved my first year in band and was sure this was what I was supposed to do. I was in the second-highest band and one of the last chairs, while all my friends were at the top of their sections. I felt completely alone at times and tried to put on a brave face. I started hating my instrument (I played clarinet) and never practiced unless I had an assignment to turn in. Although I loved marching band, concert band was a whole different story - again, I contemplated quitting. Then, junior year came. I had just been appointed as a Drum Major and was over the moon. Since I felt awkward and judged while playing my instrument, since I wasn't very good, I decided I wanted to try conducting and leading in a different way. And, if I must say for myself, I was meant to be a Drum Major. I was purely in my element - laughing, smiling, feeling like I belonged. My friends started looking up to me and respecting me. They cheered for me louder than anyone else. I finally felt like my "awkwardness" was past me. Things just kept getting better! I was selected as the Head Drum Major during my senior year. I was placed in the top band (finally) and I got into Texas A&M just three weeks after I applied. I was overjoyed and so humbled to be in such positions. The biggest point is, no matter what people say, the "awkward" parts of you can lead you to the things that are purely for you. And, an even bigger point, all of the awkwardness makes you exactly who you're meant to be - no one is the same, and no one should be.

I can still picture it - 5-year-old me “teaching” my stuffed animals out of my mom’s old school book. Yes, I was that kid who sat her stuffed animals in a row, sometimes her brother too, and taught them for hours. Whether it was math, science, or even reading, it was more fun than any other game. For all eighteen years of my life, teaching has been my dream. Back then, I did not have much of a reason to want to teach. I just knew that was what I wanted. Now, and for the past couple of years, I know exactly why. I absolutely adore kids. I love being around them and having conversations with them and getting to know what they love to do. I love how gentle, kind, and naive they are in this crazy, sometimes cruel, world. I love when I receive a hug or an “I love you” from a kid I just met. I want to make as much of a difference in their lives as they do in mine. I am the oldest daughter, granddaughter, and niece. So, it is very safe to say that I know what I am doing when it comes to watching and caring for kids. I have been around kids my entire life and have loved every second of it. Seeing their glowing faces when you tell them “good job”, or watching them play with their toys and friends brings me more joy than almost anything else. I have been blessed to shadow one of my favorite teachers, Ms. Rodriguez. She was my incredible third-grade teacher and, last year, I was her student teacher. Getting to teach third-grade alongside my own third-grade teacher was a full-circle moment to say the least. She is the perfect model of patience and kindness when it comes to her students. She loves and cares for each of them, and tailors their learning to their personal traits. She shows what it is like to show up for your kids and encourage them every step of the way. She is the epitome of grace and selflessness, and is the kind of teacher I strive to be. Being a student teacher in Ms. Rodriguez’s class changed my life. It showed me that it is truly the place I want to be. I want to be a third-grade teacher and change lives the same way she does. I want to be the teacher kids say changed their lives. I want to make the biggest impact I possibly can, and I strive to be patient, kind, understanding, and loving to every student that walks into my future classroom.

As an Elementary Education major, I plan to use my education to help each and every student I am blessed to teach. I want to focus on how my students feel and worry less about their grades. I want them to always feel loved, welcome, and like they are more than capable of achieving their dreams. A lot of times, children come to school in order to escape their home life. I want to make it easier for them in every aspect of their life that I am able to. I want to be a safe place for my kids. I will be that teacher they are always able to talk to without being judged or treated like anything less than a person. Just because they are young does not mean they are incapable of feeling big emotions and needing help to navigate them. One of the reasons I am so passionate about this is because of my younger brother who has Autism and an emotional disorder. Growing up with a brother who needed more help and attention than myself was hard to become accustomed to. His emotions are so much bigger than a “normal” 12-year-old. He has a difficult time dealing with change, emotional topics, and when things go a different way than he may have expected or wanted. It is hard for my family to understand, but as he has gotten older, we have seen so much growth. So much of his growth is due to his amazing teachers and therapists. I want to be the teacher that can make a student’s life just a little bit easier. If a girl comes to school and was unable to get her hair done, I will bring a brush, hair ties, bows, and all the cute things a little girl may want. If a boy comes to school with a holey shirt, I will have extra so they can feel more like themselves. I will have snacks and drinks and always allow my students to take what they need. My student’s happiness is more important than their grades. Of course, grades matter quite a bit. I will not take that for granted but instead have my priorities straight. I will offer tutoring and extra help whenever needed. A student should not feel embarassed to ask for more help. The extra help can allow the students to excel in that particular subject. All in all, I plan to be a helper as well as an educator. I will love and respect my students as if they are my own children. I will use my experience as a sister of a special needs child to be patient and kind at all times. Teaching has been my dream and I will never take it for granted.

While it's true that some students go home in order to escape school, there are an unnamed number of students who go to school to escape their "home". I say "home" in quotations because that isn't really their home. It is a building with people who abuse them either physically or mentally. It is a building where they feel unheard, unseen, and unloved. School can be a place where kids feel loved, welcomed, and truly desired. This is my goal - to make students feel loved and cared for. After all, they are a person, not a grade on a piece of paper. For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of being a teacher to Elementary-aged children. I am the oldest daughter, niece, and granddaughter, so I have been around my fair share of kids and I always enjoy it more than anything. I was the kid who wanted to "play house" or teach her stuffed animals. I would even make my little brother sit and listen to me "teach". It is safe to say this is my dream, and I am beyond lucky to have the chance to fulfill it. I feel led to help kids in their early ages to pursue their dreams so they can go out in the world and pursue even bigger ones. I want to encourage each and every student I am blessed to teach. I want them to know they are enough, they are important, and their presence is crucial to other people's lives. If the only person who tells them this is me, then I will do my very best to tell them constantly. However, I hope to make a difference, and I hope I will not be the only person to encourage them. When I am an educator, my classroom will be a safe space for all students from different backgrounds, families, and communities. I will listen to them and make them feel like a whole person, not a grade. Of course, grades are important. But nothing is more important than how the student is feeling and how their life is going. Hopefully, as the students feel more welcomed and important, they will perform better in school. Therefore, they can excel in subjects and be successful throughout their lives. This all must start in Elementary School. If, while they are young, students feel important and valued, they will go into later grades and this world knowing their worth. Educators must be more than that; They must be helpers, encouragers, and protectors. This is what I strive to be and what inspires me to go into the education field.

While it's true that some students go home in order to escape school, there are an unnamed number of students who go to school to escape their "home". I say "home" in quotations because that isn't really their home. It is a building with people who abuse them either physically or mentally. It is a building where they feel unheard, unseen, and unloved. School can be a place where kids feel loved, welcomed, and truly desired. This is my goal - to make students feel loved and cared for. After all, they are a person, not a grade on a piece of paper. For as long as I can remember, I have dreamed of being a teacher to Elementary-aged children. I am the oldest daughter, niece, and granddaughter, so I have been around my fair share of kids and I always enjoy it more than anything. I was the kid who wanted to "play house" or teach her stuffed animals. I would even make my little brother sit and listen to me "teach". It is safe to say this is my dream, and I am beyond lucky to have the chance to fulfill it. I feel led to help kids in their early ages to pursue their dreams so they can go out in the world and pursue even bigger ones. I want to encourage each and every student I am blessed to teach. I want them to know they are enough, they are important, and their presence is crucial to other people's lives. If the only person who tells them this is me, then I will do my very best to tell them constantly. However, I hope to make a difference, and I hope I will not be the only person to encourage them. When I am an educator, my classroom will be a safe space for all students from different backgrounds, families, and communities. I will listen to them and make them feel like a whole person, not a grade. Of course, grades are important. But nothing is more important than how the student is feeling and how their life is going. Hopefully, as the students feel more welcomed and important, they will perform better in school. Therefore, they can excel in subjects and be successful throughout their lives. This all must start in Elementary School. If, while they are young, students feel important and valued, they will go into later grades and this world knowing their worth. Educators must be more than that; They must be helpers, encouragers, and protectors. This is what I strive to be and what inspires me to go into the education field.