Before passing away, my first photography teacher spent his last semester teaching an introductory level photo class. He showed us how to shoot with film and chemically develop photographs in a darkroom. In response to the validation shown to me by this kind and patient soul struggling to hold on to doing what he loved, I developed an affection for photography and teaching that I am working now to cultivate in myself so I may share it with others. My experience practicing photography has shifted my outlook on the arts and has made me think I am capable of more than I originally thought. The process of experimenting with something you are passionate about and having your work validated by professionals and peers is something I think everyone deserves to experience, and I would like to help make that happen. The clearest path to sharing this passion with the world to me is following in my first professor's footsteps and teaching others about expressing themselves through photography. With a master's degree in visual arts or more specifically photography, I believe I can find a position teaching at a university and helping students discover what their potential. In the Midwest where I currently attend school, I see a lack of emphasis and attention for the arts compared to more heavily populated areas like the East or West coasts. The academic priority being focused on other disciplines does a disservice to students who could benefit from learning how to communicate and document with a camera. I would like to fight to show universities and students how much they can learn and benefit through creating and viewing photographic work. A student who knows how to read and convey emotions in a picture stands to learn and share a great deal with the world. I believe photography is an excellent jumping off point towards showing people how they can be expressed and validated through art. Being able to liaise the issues they see in the world and the troubles they experience through a visual medium is a powerful tool that we should all have access to. If I can help bring this impactful skillset to others as it has been brought to me I am confident that the people carrying on those teaches will help to make the world a better place.