My career in special education bloomed when my cousin was born. My cousin Paul, who is a sixth grader in Massachusetts, has severe autism. When I was younger, I got to see Paul for who he is—a kind, funny, and caring guy. My aunt would tell me how the kids at his school and in his neighborhood never really played with him or wanted to be around him. That's something that to this day I still don't understand. I think one of the biggest misconceptions in the special education field is that the students who are in it are "different". My biggest goal in becoming a teacher, specifically a special education teacher, is to treat my students how I would anybody else. I believe that these students deserve the same level of advocacy and belief in their capabilities that anyone else does. With the former special education students who I've had, I have always made it a goal for them, and their parents, to know how proud I am of them. Because despite everybody telling them that they can't do something, they have shown me, their parents, their teachers, and their peers, that they can go above and beyond those expectations if given a chance. When I graduate from North Carolina State University in 2026, I plan to be an ECS teacher somewhere in Wake County and work with high school or lower elementary students. While being a first-year teacher, I plan to pursue my MED at NC State in special education. I've had the opportunity to work with the Dean's office in the College of Education, and being surrounded by such amazing and inspiring people has pushed me to potentially pursue a PhD in either Special Education or Educational Leadership. While that is plenty of years away, I truly think that achieving a Doctorate would allow me to have a position in Wake County, or any county, to oversee the special education department. I hope that in any job or position that I have in education, I can make a positive and lasting influence on my students. A position on the school board overseeing special education and making sure that I can provide the best opportunities and resources for teachers to give their students the most powerful and beautiful thing I could do in a career. In my career, if one student feels that I've made a positive and lasting difference in their life, then I know I've done my job. An opportunity for me to provide pre-service and current teachers resources to do the same is quite literally all I could hope or ask for in a career. I would be honored if I was chosen to be one of the recipients of this scholarship as this would help me achieve the goals that I have set for myself.

Throughout my childhood, I struggled every day in the classroom. After many therapy sessions with three separate child psychologist specialists, I was diagnosed with ADD in fifth grade, which resulted in me initially having an IEP to accommodate all of those new challenges. Being officially diagnosed gave me an enormous sense of clarity in knowing that I still had it in me to do well in school and that there wasn’t something “wrong” with me. I soon was placed in Curriculum Assistance classes from fifth grade up until my freshman year of high school. Understanding what it’s like to struggle in school is something that allows me to empathize with special needs students. I understand what it’s like to attempt to do something and wanting to give up because I don’t believe I can do it; when all I really needed was a little push in the right direction or someone to help me along the way. Throughout high school, I was in a Physical Education Peer Instruction (PEPI) class. It went far beyond simply helping a special needs student in their gym class. Every week, I would create lesson plans for the three students that I mentored, all ranging from low to high-functioning Autism. The special education students learned new social, communication, and physical skills while I bonded with them in a way that made both them and me feel a genuine connection. Every student in their Special Education classes has an IEP, so having had one previously, I know a bit about what kind of help they are getting and how to help them in a way that will make their brain make that “click” to understand the given assignment. Having been in Curriculum Assistance classes myself allowed me to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for both the students and teachers in the Special Needs community within a school. Now, a freshman undergraduate student at North Carolina State University, I get the chance every day to give back to the Special Needs community. I am a North Carolina Teaching Fellow, which is a program that selects Special Education majors and gives us the resources to go into the classroom earlier than students not in the program, in exchange for promising to teach Special Education for at least four to eight years in North Carolina. Every day, I learn new classroom strategies and methods to make my future classroom one that thrives on equity. I truly believe that every special needs student, no matter how low or high functioning, deserves an equal opportunity to receive the assistance they rightfully deserve. In addition to being a Teaching Fellow, I am also a WCPSS Future Teacher. Right after I graduated high school, I signed a contract with Wake County promising I would teach in Wake County for at least three years after I graduate from NC State. With this appreciation, I am on track to one day be able to give back to this loving and deserving community. I truly cannot express enough just how much I look forward to having my own classroom one day, and being able to make a positive impact on my future students. Making a profound difference in a student’s life by providing them the advocacy and support they need to do great things both in and outside of the classroom is the thing that motivates me every day.