As a child, people ask you what you want to be when you grow up. In preschool, you get answers like astronaut, doctor, singer, or princess. As you grow, a child might give more detailed answers like a zoologist, police officer, teacher, photographer, or professional athlete. The older kids get, the more they explore their interests and figure out what they want to do as a career or “when they grow up.” I was different because my answer was the same every single time. As a Junior in high school I reached out to my counselor to find a way to get experience in teaching and find out what classes might be best for my career goal. He enrolled me in my first CTE Internship class, which was at Nibley Elementary with Mrs. Andrea Nelson. This was a perfect introduction to elementary education for me as I got first-hand experience with 120 hours in her first grade classroom. She was an amazing mentor where I learned that it is the teacher that builds the foundation of how a student learns and acts. As I was registering for my Senior year and choosing classes, I thought it would be beneficial to compare and contrast a different teaching style. I completed another CTE Internship at Millville Elementary with Mrs. Cobabe. As I anticipated, they had very different teaching styles. I learned a lot about how I would want to manage a classroom. The curriculum may be the same, but the classroom may look completely different and the teacher is really who makes a difference in each student’s success. At this point, I was getting really excited about pursuing a career as an educator. I met with my counselor again to start looking at concurrent enrollment classes. I really want to get a head start on college and get as many credits as I can. I enrolled and completed Psychology 1010, Human Development/HDFS 1500, and Teaching as a Profession/TEAL 1010. I am currently enrolled in English 1010 and Western Civilization 1320. Taking these college courses is important to me because it will help keep tuition costs lower. My parents are not in a position to pay for my college, so I will be responsible for paying my education costs. I have a goal to get my bachelor’s degree with no debt and hope to not have any student loans. I am working two jobs to save money for college right now and am doing well in my classes. As I was looking at different schools, I found that Utah State University (USU) has a lot of resources for students in the early childhood education field. USU is also in my hometown, so it will provide me the opportunity to live at home and go to school to save me money. Ultimately I decided to apply to USU and was accepted! I am excited to start school in fall 2024 with credits already completed. I am thrilled to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education. I want to create an energetic approach to teaching and learning that excites the students and keeps them focused, while also becoming an advocate for them. My own personal experiences create a drive to accomplish my goals and help others. My internships and TEAL 1010 class is ultimately why I am 100% confident this is the right career for me. I want to teach tiny humans and watch their brains grow. To me, that is the ultimate goal.

As a child, people ask you what you want to be when you grow up. In preschool, you get answers like astronaut, doctor, singer, or princess. As you grow, a child might give more detailed answers like a zoologist, police officer, teacher, photographer, or professional athlete. The older kids get, the more they explore their interests and figure out what they want to do as a career or “when they grow up.” I was different because my answer was the same every single time. As a Junior in high school I reached out to my counselor to find a way to get experience in teaching and find out what classes might be best for my career goal. He enrolled me in my first CTE Internship class, which was at Nibley Elementary with Mrs. Andrea Nelson. This was a perfect introduction to elementary education for me as I got first-hand experience with 120 hours in her first grade classroom. She was an amazing mentor where I learned that it is the teacher that builds the foundation of how a student learns and acts. As I was registering for my Senior year and choosing classes, I thought it would be beneficial to compare and contrast a different teaching style. I completed another CTE Internship at Millville Elementary with Mrs. Cobabe. As I anticipated, they had very different teaching styles. I learned a lot about how I would want to manage a classroom. The curriculum may be the same, but the classroom may look completely different and the teacher is really who makes a difference in each student’s success. At this point, I was getting really excited about pursuing a career as an educator. I met with my counselor again to start looking at concurrent enrollment classes. I really want to get a head start on college and get as many credits as I can. I enrolled and completed Psychology 1010, Human Development/HDFS 1500, and Teaching as a Profession/TEAL 1010. I am currently enrolled in English 1010 and Western Civilization 1320. Taking these college courses is important to me because it will help keep tuition costs lower. My parents are not in a position to pay for my college, so I will be responsible for paying my education costs. I have a goal to get my bachelor’s degree with no debt and hope to not have any student loans. I am working two jobs to save money for college right now and am doing well in my classes. As I was looking at different schools, I found that Utah State University (USU) has a lot of resources for students in the early childhood education field. USU is also in my hometown, so it will provide me the opportunity to live at home and go to school to save me money. Ultimately I decided to apply to USU and was accepted! I am excited to start school in fall 2024 with credits already completed. I am thrilled to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education. I want to create an energetic approach to teaching and learning that excites the students and keeps them focused, while also becoming an advocate for them. My own personal experiences create a drive to accomplish my goals and help others. My internships and TEAL 1010 class is ultimately why I am 100% confident this is the right career for me. I want to teach tiny humans and watch their brains grow. To me, that is the ultimate goal.

The Accident Over 12 years ago, my dad was in a horrific head-on collision where a 19-year old went into a diabetic coma, crossed the center lane, and collided with my dad’s car. Each going 60 mph, the total impact was 220,088 poundals-force. The man in the other car was killed instantly (he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt); however, my dad was in critical condition and miraculously survived! He WAS wearing his seatbelt, thankfully. It took about 30 minutes to extricate him from the car. He was then flown by medical helicopter to the hospital, where they determined the extent of his injuries, which included both legs being crushed, a broken sternum, 90% broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a punctured kidney, and more. Following an all-night surgery, my mom was told he would never walk again. After two months of surgeries, he ultimately made the courageous decision to have a below-the-knee amputation. He was in the hospital for a total of three months, from fighting for his life to rehabilitation. Finding a New Normal Due to his injuries, my dad lost his job and could no longer be a maintenance technician, the career he had gone to college for. My dad was extremely limited on the jobs he could do because of his mobility issues, but he was able to do some training and re-career. Many believe the insurance would have covered everything, but it only covered a small portion of the bills. This major event made it so my parents did not have the opportunity to set up college savings accounts. There are many challenges my family still and will endure in the future due to this accident, such as my dad needing additional surgeries, and moving to a new home that can accommodate a wheelchair as he ages. My parents both work extremely hard for the money they now earn, and save as much money as they can to prepare for the future. Having a Growth Mindset I had to grow up really fast. From the age of six, I had to step up and learn to do a lot of chores my dad struggled with, such as most of the yard work, mopping, vacuuming, and shoveling snow. I learned dedication and responsibility. Despite the negatives, the main thing that got us through was focusing on the positive growth and development we were all experiencing! My dad is alive, and if he wasn't wearing his seatbelt, he could have easily died. My dad has learned to take advantage of the life he has left to live and to make the best of it. The first thing my dad said after his amputation was, “Our lives have been changed, and we will never be the same. I have been given a second chance, and it is what I do with that second chance that matters.” I admire him for the challenges he has overcome and hope to continue to inspire others with what I have learned through the years. My Career Goals I am thrilled to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education. I want to create an energetic approach to teaching and learning that excites the students and keeps them focused, while also becoming an advocate for them. My own personal experiences create a drive to accomplish my goals and help others not take this life for granted. I can’t wait to teach every one of my students to push through challenges and think optimistically. We can’t take advantage of life because we never know when it will be cut short. To me, that is the ultimate goal

Over 12 years ago, my dad was in a horrific head-on collision where a 19-year old went into a diabetic coma, and collided with my dad’s car. The man in the other car was killed instantly however, my dad was in critical condition survived! It took 30 minutes to extricate him from the car. He was flown by medical helicopter to the hospital, where they determined the extent of his injuries, which included both legs being crushed, a broken sternum, 90% broken ribs, a collapsed lung, and more. My mom was told he would never walk again. He ultimately had to make the decision to have a below-the-knee amputation. Due to his injuries, my dad lost his job and could no longer do the career he had gone to college for. My dad was limited on the jobs he could do, but he was able re-career. This major event made it so my parents couldn’t set up college savings accounts. There are challenges my family will endure in the future due to this accident, such as additional surgeries, and moving to a new home that can accommodate a wheelchair as he ages. My dad has learned to take advantage of life, and to make the best of it. My Career Goals I am pursuing a degree in Elementary Education. I want to create an energetic approach to teaching and learning that excites the students and keeps them focused, while also becoming an advocate for them. My own personal experiences create a drive to accomplish my goals and help others not take this life for granted. I can’t wait to teach every one of my students to push through challenges and think optimistically. We can’t take advantage of life because we never know when it will be cut short.

The Accident Over 12 years ago, my dad was in a horrific head-on collision where a 19-year old went into a diabetic coma, crossed the center lane, and collided with my dad’s car. Each going 60 mph, the total impact was 220,088 poundals-force. The man in the other car was killed instantly (he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt); however, my dad was in critical condition and miraculously survived! He WAS wearing his seatbelt, thankfully. It took about 30 minutes to extricate him from the car. He was then flown by medical helicopter to the hospital, where they determined the extent of his injuries, which included both legs being crushed, a broken sternum, 90% broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a punctured kidney, and more. Following an all-night surgery, my mom was told he would never walk again. After two months of surgeries, he ultimately made the courageous decision to have a below-the-knee amputation. He was in the hospital for a total of three months, from fighting for his life to rehabilitation. Finding a New Normal My family and friends always try to look on the bright side by joking about it, saying he is a pirate, robot, or if we get in trouble, we can take his leg and run. Due to his injuries, my dad lost his job and could no longer be a maintenance technician, the career he had gone to college for. My dad was extremely limited on the jobs he could do because of his mobility issues, but he was able to do some training and re-career. Many believe the insurance would have covered everything, but it only covered a small portion of the bills. This major event made it so my parents did not have the opportunity to set up college savings accounts. There are many challenges my family still and will endure in the future due to this accident, such as my dad needing additional surgeries, and moving to a new home that can accommodate a wheelchair as he ages. My parents both work extremely hard for the money they now earn, and save as much money as they can to prepare for the future. Having a Growth Mindset I had to grow up really fast. From the age of six, I had to step up and learn to do a lot of chores my dad struggled with, such as most of the yard work, mopping, vacuuming, and shoveling snow. I learned dedication and responsibility. Despite the negatives, the main thing that got us through was focusing on the positive growth and development we were all experiencing! My dad is alive, and if he wasn't wearing his seatbelt, he could have easily died. My dad has learned to take advantage of the life he has left to live and to make the best of it. The first thing my dad said after his amputation was, “Our lives have been changed, and we will never be the same. I have been given a second chance, and it is what I do with that second chance that matters.” I admire him for the challenges he has overcome and hope to continue to inspire others with what I have learned through the years. My Career Goals I am thrilled to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education. I want to create an energetic approach to teaching and learning that excites the students and keeps them focused, while also becoming an advocate for them. "Life is full of challenges. How you handle these challenges is what builds character. Never be afraid to be who you are." I believe passionately in turning negative situations into positive outcomes. My own personal experiences create a drive to accomplish my goals and help others not take this life for granted. I want to teach tiny humans and watch their brains grow. I want to help students get the important skills they need to become lifelong learners. I can’t wait to teach every one of my students to push through challenges and think optimistically. We can’t take advantage of life because we never know when it will be cut short. To me, that is the ultimate goal.

As a child, people ask you what you want to be when you grow up. In preschool, you get answers like astronaut, doctor, singer, or princess. As you grow, a child might give more detailed answers like a zoologist, police officer, teacher, photographer, or professional athlete. The older kids get, the more they explore their interests and figure out what they want to do as a career or “when they grow up.” I was different because my answer was the same every single time. I have always wanted to be a teacher. My experiences throughout my education have been both positive and negative, which drives the kind of teacher I want to be. CTE Internships As a Junior in high school I reached out to my counselor to find a way to get experience in teaching and find out what classes might be best for my career goal. He enrolled me in my first CTE Internship class, which was at Nibley Elementary with Mrs. Andrea Nelson. This was a perfect introduction to elementary education for me as I got first-hand experience with 120 hours in her first grade classroom. She was an amazing mentor where I learned that it is the teacher that builds the foundation of how a student learns and acts. I was given an invaluable experience learning patience, doing observation, assisting with curriculum by teaching small modules, and carrying out classroom expectations. This experience solidified my desire to continue to work toward a career path of early childhood education. As I was registering for my Senior year and choosing classes, I thought it would be beneficial to compare and contrast a different teaching style. I completed another CTE Internship at Providence Elementary with Mrs. Cobabe. This was also in first grade. As I anticipated, they had very different teaching styles. I learned a lot about how I would want to manage a classroom. The curriculum may be the same, but the classroom may look completely different and the teacher is really who makes a difference in each student’s success. Acceptance to Utah State University As I was looking at different schools, I found that Utah State University (USU) has a lot of resources for students in the early childhood education field. The most important one is the field and practicum work. USU’s early childhood education program lets students have the opportunity to start working with children starting in their first year rather than waiting until their third year to get started. This was appealing to me. Also, USU is in my hometown, so it will provide me the opportunity to live at home and go to school to save me money. Ultimately I decided to apply to USU and was accepted! I am excited to start school in fall 2024 with credits already completed. I am thrilled to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education. I want to create an energetic approach to teaching and learning that excites the students and keeps them focused, while also becoming an advocate for them. "Life is full of challenges. How you handle these challenges is what builds character. Never be afraid to be who you are." I believe passionately in turning negative situations into positive outcomes. My own personal experiences create a drive to accomplish my goals and help others. My internships and TEAL 1010 class is ultimately why I am 100% confident this is the right career for me. I want to teach tiny humans and watch their brains grow.