Being a member of the Latino-American community has taught me a lot about family. I love my family, they are my whole world. Celebrating Dia de los Muertos has always instilled in me the importance of honoring our loved ones, and never forgetting them. As a future educator, I want to be able to pass along that message. It is important to have a strong family unit and to embrace it. Family is there to help support and motivate you. From my experience, this is exactly what family has been for me. They have inspired me to continue my education journey and taught me that I can do anything I set my mind to. As a future educator, I want my students to embrace the importance of family and support from loved ones. A strong support system is one of the tools that helped me get to where I am today. Knowing that they believed in me, and would support me and my decisions helped me remain motivated and kept me going. As mentioned before celebrating Dia de los Muertos and the idea around death has helped me come to terms with loss. I think that in the Mexican culture, death is more celebrated than grieved compared to American culture. For me, it has been much easier to handle loss versus being sad about it. Celebrating these people every year and remembering them with happy memories and their favorite foods has brought a bittersweet taste to death. This is an important message that children should learn especially young children. As an educator, I want to be able to handle situations of loss as a time of remembrance and honoring your loved ones. I think that it is healthier to think of death this way versus being sad and only grieving. Another thing that has influenced me has been the idea of breaking norms. In my family, I have been the first to go this far in higher education. For example, my grandmother did not have the opportunities to go to school like I did, she was poor and worked hard with 3 kids. She still got the education she needed at the time, but she did not go further than an associate's level. My dad dropped out of college when I was born. I felt that I had to break that and just focus solely on school. I found that my education was one of the most important things for me. I am grateful for the choices those before me made, but I wanted to break that tradition of having to stop due to children, or lack of opportunities. Luckily today there are many more opportunities for students. And I want to share that and spread that knowledge to future students. I want them to know the opportunities that are out there for them. As a future educator, I want to share the ideas of how strong family is. That working hard is worth it, and that you can do anything you set your mind to. I want to teach them the idea of working hard for yourself and your goals. Having support is one of the best motivational factors in this process. I want them to know the opportunities that are presented to them for furthering their education. I want them to know that anything is possible. Family has helped me get to where I am today and I want to share that idea, the idea of support from people who love and motivate you.

I am pursuing an education to become an elementary educator. I have chosen this field because I want to carry on the legacy of all of the other great and passionate elementary school teachers who have impacted me as a child. I have always marveled at the patience and the inspiration that these teachers have imprinted in me. As a child, I always remember the happy and fun environment that these teachers provided. I remember wanting to learn and pursue what I was interested in. I want to be able to do the same. I want to inspire younger generations in wanting to learn and to be passionate about what they like. I have younger siblings and would do anything for them, they have also inspired me to want to teach. I want to be there for students who need it, I want to show students that they have a place to be happy and to learn comfortably. I want to carry on the gift that was given to me, and I want to be that one teacher who has inspired someone to pursue their interests or dreams. I want to continue my education to get a Bacehlor's in Liberal Studies and also receive my Teaching Credential. These are requirements by the state of California to be able to teach. I want to be able to continue my education journey so that I am able to teach which is my dream. I want to have a classroom of my own where I can make a fun learning environment that is safe for questions and curiosity. A personal reason is to be able to show that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. Of course, I want this career and I am so excited to pursue it. But to me, I must remember that I have only gotten so far because I have worked so hard. And I cannot wait to reach the point where I did it. In my family, I am the only one who has completed an Associate's level degree and is pursuing a higher degree. I want to show my younger family members that it is possible, I want to pave the way for others in my family. And I want to show them that you can do anything you set your mind to, it takes hard work and dedication. This is the message I want not only my family members to share, but also my future students.

My name is Lana Raper, I am the eldest of 3 and am pursuing an education in Elementary Education. As the eldest child, I have always had a sense of responsibility and that all of my actions have consequences. I grew up in a household where if I did something it was seen as an example, so when that action was repeated I would get into trouble as I was the example in the first place. So I have learned to be responsible and mindful of all of my actions. I try my best to lead as a good example for my siblings and others whenever possible. I think that it has shaped me to be a respectful and mindful person. I always try my best to lead by the best example possible. My family helps keep me in check, as I want to do my best to make my parents proud of the person that I am. I have grown up learning that holding yourself accountable is one of the most important things you can do. It is not right to try and blame others when in reality you need to be aware of your wrongdoings. To learn you need to accept the mistakes you've made and grow from them. I think that this lesson that my parents taught me, helps me hold myself accountable for mistakes that I have made (and continue to make). I have been blamed for things before that were not my fault and it felt terrible. I remind myself how this feels if I ever find myself blaming someone else for a mistake that I have made, and try to fix it as soon as possible. I think as humans we need to learn that mistakes are okay, and accepting that makes holding yourself accountable so much easier. It has been a journey learning that it is okay to make mistakes and it is as important to hold yourself accountable when it happens. Remembering that has helped tremendously in holding myself accountable. At the end of the day, I think that it makes you seem like I better person when you can hold yourself responsible for any mishaps you have made. It is not worth it to blame others, you do not learn anything and you just made that person feel bad. It is more beneficial to just accept you made a mistake and do your best to fix it. It is hard to do, but one just needs to remember that it is so worth it for self-growth. I think that growing and constantly trying to better yourself is the best thing that you can do as a human. In holding myself accountable, I have learned that I need to not be so self-conscious. And in doing so I have become more confident and less nervous in social/public settings. I can talk to more people and having better people skills is beneficial for my field of study. I have also been able to be better at managing my time as I have learned that I am the only one who has control of that. I cannot blame others for my lack of time management skills or any other skills. So I have bettered myself by learning that I am the one at fault for a lot of things that I can fix myself. It has led to me becoming better in school and helped me reach out into volunteering.

In my pursuit of higher education, I have faced a few obstacles. I am the first in my family to finish a degree and pursue a Bachelor's degree, so I am the first going into this with no help from someone close to me with any experience. I think that the main obstacle has been finances. During middle and high school I was unable to participate in extracurriculars due to us only having one car, and that car was used by my dad to go to work every day. I always wanted to join the volleyball team but felt I was unable to, due to the hardships that would cause. I was also unable to pay for the AP exams during high school. I was in AP classes throughout high school, always in AP English or Honors, and AP history. However, I was unable to take the exams so there was no benefit for me. I did like the academic challenge from the courses though. I felt as though I would not be able to get into a good university due to these setbacks. Luckily I have taken the course of going to a community college first. My experience so far has been amazing and I have been accepted to Sacramento State University to continue my college journey. I am worried however about finances as I was able to receive aid for most of my experience at my community college. However, university is a lot more expensive and I worry about it all of the time. Luckily I have done everything I can and applied to different types of aid and complete scholarships to help fund my education. I plan to become an educator in the future and I want to give back to my community what it gave to me. During my years in elementary school, I received care and support in learning and my interests. I would love to pass it along and do the same for future generations of students. I want to be able to influence and inspire students to actively learn new things and work hard for their dreams. I am in the process of reaching mine and I could not be more excited. I want to be able to continue the passion for teaching and inspiring young minds.

For me, going to college is one of the most important processes everyone should have the opportunity to go through. College is a big stepping stone that I must climb to reach my dream career. I find that college opens so many experiences and opportunities for everyone. Going to college to obtain my Bachelor's in Liberal Studies and my Teaching Credential is my goal. I want to make an impact in the education field. I want to inspire young students to want to learn and embrace the power of knowledge. College to me is the door that opens me to reaching my dream and teaching. I am passionate about inspiring young minds and being that voice that can change how they see themselves. I want to be able to help students understand the importance of wanting to learn and wanting to dream BIG. Elementary school is a monumental period for most students. You will hear stories of teachers who helped inspire and push students toward their dreams or passions. I would love the opportunity to help inspire and push students to be their best. I feel it is only fair to pass it forward as teachers in the past have done for me. Starting at a community college has been an amazing experience. I have been able to stay home and go to my local community college. I have a newfound joy in learning. I think that college is an amazing experience, I have learned so much in my time at my college. Moving forward I want to go to a 4 year university to obtain my Bachelor's. I have been working hard for the past two years, and I do not want to stop now. I think it is a big step moving from a JC level to a CSU. I want to be as prepared as possible and I want to continue my learning journey. So far, I have loved my college experience, and I want to continue this experience by going to Sacramento State, which I have just been accepted to. I am so excited to continue my education and I get closer and closer to reaching my goal. Going to a CSU is going to be a scary and new experience for me, I will moving and I will be leaving my friends behind. But I think that this part of the college experience is about growth and stepping outside of my comfort zone. I am ready to take the next step in my college journey and I find that college is a great time to find out a lot about yourself. You test the limits of how fast you can write a last-minute paper, or how you can adapt to the busy workload each term. I hope to find new friends and enjoy the new experiences that college brings. I am excited to accomplish what I have been working so hard for, for the past two years.

One of my favorite aspects of Minecraft is the sense of peace and a simple life. Minecraft to me, is an escape from the bustling world of school, money, and other stressors in my busy life. I love the feeling of escape into the beautiful landscape of unending possibility. I also love the creative freedom that players have. It reminds me of an art medium such as painting or drawing. In Minecraft, you can build whatever you want and I think it serves as a creative outlet for lots of people. I personally love to find a nice set of land in the forest and build a little cottage where I am a simple farmer. It makes me feel appreciate for the small things in life. I love the feeling of peace the game brings. You can farm, fish, and trade. It is a simple yet amazing game that helps remind me that the world is so beautiful. When I am lucky I found the vast flower fields that inspire me to work hard so I can get my dream career in order to have a vacation to a place that has fields like that. My dream is to be able to teach and travel. Minecraft with its landscapes inspire me to work hard for my dream, so that one day I can visit the vast oceans, and find those beautiful fields of neverending flowers.

There are a few people who have inspired me to want to become an educator. One of the first people that come to mind is my 1st grade teacher Mrs. Hunt. She was new that year and she was one of the kindest people that I have ever met. She made learning fun and enjoyable. She would encourage curiosity and questions. Having her in mind and the joy she brought, I want to continue that legacy. I want to be an inspiration for other young minds to be curious and to love learning. I think that what they want to learn is so very important. After elementary school, learning becomes taxing and rushed. The childlike want to learn goes away as the stress of being right all the time for grades takes over. I want to leave a lasting impact on children. That learning is your greatest tool. The want to learn is so important, for example, in high school I lost a lot of motivation to learn. All I did was memorize what I had to know and only remember it for the tests. Luckily, in community college, I have found learning to be fun again. I think that passionate teachers make a difference. They can make the most 'boring' subject fun and interesting to learn. I want to be able to make that difference in young children so that they remember throughout their lives that learning is fun and an important tool in life. Another person who inspires me to become an educator was my 4th grade teacher Mrs. Hollister. Like Mrs. Hunt her classroom was fun and inviting, it truly was a safe space. She was always a positive person to go to, she was caring and kind. She had a maternal feeling to her, so you always felt safe and comforted. I was always a very shy child and having her as a teacher helped bring me out of my shell. I want to continue the kindness and safety that she brought to all the children that she taught. I believe that it is so important for the student to feel comfortable and safe to learn. I remember for the longest time I felt uncomfortable at school. That is until I had these wonderful teachers to help open my shell. I understand the struggle of feeling lonely and self-conscious. I want my students to know that it is a safe space to learn and share ideas. Another teacher who I had in middle school taught them that there are no stupid questions. That opened up my mind and taught me that it is okay and very encouraged to ask questions. Otherwise, you risk never really knowing, it is better to know than always second guess. Finally, my littlest sister inspires me to become and educator. She is now 7 and is in 2nd grade. She helped me realize that I want to be around that curiosity, happiness, and innocence. I want to be able to help shape these younger generations into smart, strong, and confident people. I want to be able to pass down the gift that was given to me by all of my former teachers. It takes one voice of confidence to help support or lift someone up. I want the opportunity to be that voice.