“Math is like going to the gym for your brain. It sharpens your mind.” Danica McKellar My relationship with math is complicated; up until my sixth-grade year, I could never say that I "loved" math; I could barely say that I "liked" math. Math has always been my worst subject in school; it is something that just doesn't stick with me. I knew how important it was, but I dreaded it every day. My sixth-grade year was the start of my new view of math. I was in the on-level class, but my teacher told me she recommended I move up to the advanced class. This wasn't because I was a genius mathematician, but because she saw I was working hard and cared about learning. Then I realized something: I was only bad at math because I didn't believe in myself. My high school choir teacher always said, Hard work beats talent any day. I would say this is true for math as well. So after being moved up into higher math, every year after that, I would take an advanced math class, and in my senior year of high school, I even took a college-level statics class. Being in these classes made me so proud of myself because I remember that little kid who would cry every night with his mom. After all, he was struggling so much with math and is now in an advanced math class. Math never became my greatest or favorite subject by any means; I still struggle with it, and I will never go into a career that involves deep, complex calculations. But math taught me what it means to be a hard worker and what it means to learn that to be successful, it doesn't take a brain like Albert Einstein's; it just takes care, time, and desire. So now, I can say with great confidence that I love math because math taught me that it doesn't take a genius to be successful; it just takes devotion and motivation.

High school is a hard but fun time. It's a time where everything is changing and you are truly growing into a person, and teachers are the ones that guide you and help you along the way. And the right teacher can change your life completely. My choir teacher, Ms. Soknich, is that teacher for me. My freshman year was honestly my hardest because COVID cast a dark shadow over me and brought lots of anxiety and depression. I was online for school, which was even worse for my focus and motivation. Taking choir in COVID virtually was tough; singing online never worked, and when we did get the chance to come in person, it was masked up 6 feet apart. This point in time was when my voice was going through major changes. I was a tenor one day and a bass the other, and some days I couldn't hit any notes. There was a point in the year where I was considering dropping choir because of how I felt about my voice, but then I thought about all the work I had done with her and the growth she had helped me get to, and that made me stay, and now it's one of my favorite classes. Ms. Soknich has always been this type of teacher for me—the one who cheers me on when I feel down, the one who makes me feel like a success when I feel like the biggest failure. Singing and performing in general are such vulnerable activities, so having a teacher who is so contagiously positive is needed. I have clear memories of times Ms. Soknich has said something to me that completely turned my day around. Going into sophomore year, the idea of "the future" was starting to creep up more and more. I thought about it a bit in middle school and freshman year, but I often found myself jumping around, but then I started to think, "I want to do what Ms. Soknich does; I want to make people feel the way she makes me feel." In my 8th grade year, I actually thought of the idea of being a teacher, but let the idea of money come to me, and some people told me it was rough. I forgot about it, but seeing Ms. Soknich brought back the idea for me. She made things that never clicked for me. Click music was never something I could understand as fast as my other friends, but now I was really starting to get it. Now it's junior year, and we are having a career research day, and Ms. Soknich is the teacher helping my group. She comes up to me and asks me what I want to do, and I say,Well, education has always been something on my mind, but I'm not sure, and she tells me how great I would be at it." When asked if money was the reason I was unsure, I said yes, and she told me, "If you are doing something you truly love and care about, nothing else matters; don't go into a career for the money; go into it for the passion," and ever since then I haven't turned my back on education. Ms. Soknich taught me so much more than just music; she taught me how to believe in myself when time gets hard, and she opened my eyes to the future. That's why Ms. Soknich is the high school teacher who most changed my point of view.

Community service is something I believe everyone should take part in. Not only because it makes an impact on the community and the betterment of the world, but also because it gives you a better perspective and understanding. If we don't go actively out of our way to put ourselves among people who are different than us, we will never be able to connect with and understand them, and we will never understand that while on the outside we may seem different, we are actually very similar. We can talk about how unfair the world is all we want, but if we want to see change in the world, we have to get up and act, and every deed is effective. I am pursuing education after high school, and as a teacher, I want to learn just as much as the students I will be teaching, from trying to further understand the community they come from to being an active helper in that community. Serving a community is a domino effect of goodness; it spreads to the community, to other communities, and follows you throughout your life.

Failure is something I've had a fascinating relationship with. No one likes failure, but I've learned to appreciate the lesson that comes along with defeat. A quote that really changed my perspective on life is “be kind to the parts of you that are still learning." As I start to pursue a future career in education, I have begun to view failure in a new light. Instead of this dark, sad thing, failure is simply a lesson to be learned. I've been looking at each failure as a lesson. This new perspective on failure came to me one day when I was really feeling down on myself. However, when I sat down and thought about the times I had "failed," seeds were planted for future successes. This year, I jumped into my choir all-state audition and expected to get accepted. I practiced more than I ever had and thought I “deserved it.” When the results were put up and I didn't see my name, my heart dropped. While I watched my friends' faces light up with pride and joy, I let my failure sour the rest of my weekend. I was upset, disappointed, and jealous. But then I thought to myself, “Why am I letting this one rejection spiral me this much when I have other responsibilities to focus on? One of my closest friends texted me after, and I asked how I went. I told her about it, and she said something that really lifted me up. She said, “I know the results weren't what you expected, but I'm proud of you for trying. I love you.” That made me realize I need to get myself up and just accept that this thing isn't for me, and that's okay.” I tried my hardest, grew as a musician, and learned an important lesson: sometimes things just don't work out. Not only did this experience teach me a lesson about grappling with rejection, but it also taught me how to redirect myself and improve my craft. Of course, it was saddening to see my last opportunity slip away, but the internal lessons I took away from this experience were much more impactful. On September 8, 2009, former President Barack Obama gave his national address to the students of America. This address made me rethink how I had been looking at my failures. What especially touched me was when he said, “Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. He lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career." I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that's why I succeed." These people succeeded because they understood that you can't let your failures define you; you have to let your failures teach you.” This made me realize that achievements aren't reached by perfection but rather by dedication. You didn't take your first steps without falling; you can't be an amazing singer without your voice cracking on some notes. It's oddly beautiful. Having a wholehearted and passionate commitment to your craft is so uplifting; it can both break your heart and show you the light at the end of the tunnel. I believe the personal experiences we have—the good, the bad, and the ugly—are the foundation for how we grow into the best possible people we can be. After reevaluating how I view failure, I've grown into a more accepting, mature, and forgiving person, whether that be for others or myself.

Hello, my name is Q Thomas, and I am interested in becoming a teacher. I believe learning is one of the most magical things in the world; to learn is something so personal, beautiful, and meaningful. I like to think of the brain as a blank canvas, and a student learning is painting that canvas and making it into a special piece of art. No one painting is the same; they all have different paces, different colors, different ideas, and different meanings. The teacher is the one providing the brush and the paint to make that canvas achieve its potential and purpose. That is why I want to become a teacher. I want to change the lives of children through education. I have always loved school; even though it was hard and I struggled, that environment just felt right to me. I have ADHD, dyslexia, and DCD, and especially before I was diagnosed and got the proper assistance and medication, I always felt behind and not smart enough to be in the classroom. But throughout my life, I had supportive teachers by my side who saw my potential, even when I didn't. I wouldn't have made it if it weren't for them. One teacher whose lessons still stick with me to this day is my first grade teacher, Ms.Handle. First grade was a rough year for me; I was in the midst of getting diagnosed and treated for my ADHD, dyslexia, and DCD, and no matter how amazing a teacher she was, I just couldn't get some things down, and man did it hurt. There was one day that I was called on in class, and a girl said, "Oh brother, we're going to be here forever." I felt like I just could learn, but Ms. Handle never gave up; she stayed after school for weeks and helped me, but she changed the way she taught; she moved the lessons from the classroom to the playground and made games out of it, and suddenly it started to click. I have seen over my years in school what happens to students who are not supported properly; the students who struggle, who fall behind, who feel less than because are the reason I want to teach, because I want to be the teacher for them, which I was always lucky to have. One of the things that saddens me most about the world is how people are pushed aside and ignored because of a lack of understanding. Often times, I see some of my peers who struggle more with school talked down to, and when they do have a moment to shine and show off their minds, people don't care to listen because of their reputation. What I wish people understood was that everyone has their own learning journey; some journeys just have a longer trail than others, and that doesn't make anyone better or worse; it just makes them unique. I have begun to question if my disabilities are going to hinder the students that I teach, and while there will be struggles for me, I think that my history and struggling in school will actually help me understand and connect to the students more. For a long time, when people have asked me why I want to teach, I have given the basic answer: "because I love working with kids." But now, after really explaining and processing why this is the career I am interested in, I will answer, "Because every kid has a beautiful and vivid purpose, and I want to be the one to help them find it."

Every living thing learns. The poorest person in the world learns, and the richest person in the world also learns. Education is among the 10 cultural universals, which are the 10 basic elements of every culture, along with things like family and language. To me, education means so much more than learning numbers and shapes. It's about learning who you are and where you fit in the world. School has formed me in many ways as both a student and a human being. In school, you fail, you achieve, and you discover things about yourself. But the education system is far from perfect; high-ranking officials in the school system are often making decisions that take the freedom of education away from students. Books are being banned; people who have the most power in this system are not interested in doing what's best for the betterment of education; they're using this power to push their political beliefs. How did this happen? Education, a place made for kids to learn, has become a place where people are fighting against resources that would enhance their education. The school district my brother attends had an issue with buses; there were not enough buses to transport the sports teams for away games and transport the kids to school, so students have to miss school days in order for all the sports teams to compete. This is a huge issue because kids are missing out on valuable classroom time, so someone pitched out money into getting more buses, an obvious solution, but the school board voted against this. How is education supposed to grow and evolve when school board members only have their best interests in mind? With all these negatives currently plaguing education, it's easy to get wrapped up and feel worthless. But truly, every little achievement in education is important. That one gold star on a test can make a kid's year. Staying after school to help a student who learns a little slower in class get something can help propel their life for the positive. I have always been lucky with teachers, but school has never been easy for me. I was always a little behind in my classes, but I had amazing teachers who never gave up on me. Think about the story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan; a true miracle of education, what seemed to be impossible became possible. Stories like this remind me why I want to go into education. And on a smaller scale, every day, teachers are changing lives. I still remember my first-grade teacher, Ms. Handle. First grade was a rough year academically for me; I was diagnosed with ADHD, dyslexia, and DCD, but I was in the early stages of getting help and medication for it. I wanted to learn so badly, but things just weren't sticking. But Ms. Handle believed in me, and she stayed after school with me day after day for tutoring, but she did something different. Instead of just teaching us the conventional way, she took us outside and taught us while playing on the playground; she accommodated us, and the results were amazing. Teachers like Ms. Handle made me love school, made me love learning, and motivated me to want to become a teacher. No matter what becomes of our world, we will always learn, but I want to do everything I can to protect students, to ensure they not only learn the necessities but that they love to learn. “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” —John Dewey

What I love most about Nintendo games is their ability to bring families together even in competitive settings, and while Nintendo games are now great at this, I have so many core memories going back to my first video game system, the Wii. The Wii is where I played what is probably still my favorite game to play with my family: Wii Sports. Wii Sports holds such a special place in my heart because it takes me back to a much simpler time, and it was such a big part of bonding with my dad. My dad and I are very different but similar people, so for the longest time we have often budded heads and had a hard time finding similar things to do together. He would come home after a long day of work, and we would power on the Wii to play all kinds of online games together: fencing (which was our favorite), golf, bowling, biking, and all sorts of amazing games together. No matter what kind of day we had, we'd have an amazing time together. As I said, Wii made competition and collaboration, where as usual, my dad and I would have a hard time agreeing on one thing or another. Even in such competitive games, we never let it make us angry or frustrated with each other. Wii Sports gave me some of the greatest core memories with my dad, and for that, it will always be my favorite game to play on the Nintendo.

The opportunity to get a well-rounded education is a privilege I hold dear, because I know there are many people around the world who don't have that same privilege as me. This is why, when I was considering what I wanted to study, I knew it would be something that would help impact the lives of others, which is why education was a no-brainer for me. After college, when I enter the workforce, I want to use the skills and lessons I have had the fortune of learning to help those who are less fortunate in the classroom, especially students in special education programs. I feel a major flaw in the education system and the world in general: the dismissal of people with disabilities and not seeing past their disabilities. This is why I want to become a teacher. I want to give all students the resources and lessons to best prepare them for the most successful versions of themselves as possible, making sure every student not only reaches their fullest potential but also believes that they can. My parents come from two very different lives; my dad was a military kid moving from state to state with a mom and dad who loved and cared for him deeply; my mom was a child of divorce and a mother who would rather pay for a case of beer than for food for her daughter, and they both have their own distinct traumas, and I think that's what makes them such a good pair. Yes, there's an element of understanding, but there also isn't; they haven't had all the same experiences in life, and thus they have learned lots of things not only about each other but about the world. I think this should be the same for classrooms. There is a place for separation, but if we never put two different groups together, we are robbing each group of that unique understanding of each other. This would be a main goal of mine as a teacher, putting a strong emphasis on interaction between special education and non-special education students. There was an amazing program in my old town called "HEROES," where non-special education students would have a "buddy" in the special education class. This provided support not only for the disabled student but for the other student as well. I would love to help programs like this grow because they are so important to our future. School is more than a place to learn math and history; it's also a place to learn who you are and what the world around you is like, and you don't get that from being around people who are exactly like you. For the world to grow, we have to become comfortable with shifting our ideas and using our unique life paths to indulge the world and people that surround us. That is what I plan to use my education for: to understand myself better and to spread understanding to as many people as possible.

Online platforms can be amazing assistance for education, and while of course there's a place for technology-free learning, and sometimes it seems that the rise of technology has brought on the fall of education, there are many instances that prove this wrong. I have ADHD, DCD, and dyslexia; so often times, school has been very difficult for me, especially the classic "pencil and paper" learning. This is why platforms like Google Docs and Canva have made my school life much easier and more successful. I can remember the day before we used computers in class. I would be sitting at my desk crying and getting so upset because my handwriting was way behind the rest of the class. I remember one specific day when we were practicing our cursive. The class was at the end, and I was still on C. Teachers would often have to have me read them my work because it was so unreadable. But now that I'm allowed to use a computer to type up my writing assignments, I don't have to spend hours trying to get my thoughts on paper that the teacher probably wouldn't be able to read. There are so many examples of technology helping students with disabilities in the classroom; another one is the extension Grammarly, I have always struggled with spelling and punctuation, even up until high school. For some reason, no matter how hard I tried, it just didn't make sense in my head, but through Grammarly, while it may seem like a "cheat" or the "easy way out," it has actually helped me understand grammar and spelling rules a lot more. I saw this so well when looking at an essay I wrote in 8th grade before I used Grammarly; I used 8 commas and 7 periods in a 600 word essay, then comparing that to my writing now, where I use semicolon, commas, and periods galore. Technology assists students all across the disabled community; it gives non-verbal students a way to communicate; it helps students learn social cues who just need a little more help with them; and there are so many more amazing examples of it. I am going to education as a career, and I without a doubt will not only encourage but push technology like this for my students, and obviously there are many benefits to technology-free learning, but ignoring the amazing platforms available is ignorant to the students who could use those platforms to help them grow as students.

Going into a career in education, a big motivation for me was to help improve the education system for kids with disabilities. One of my issues with the way the education system is right now is that I feel like while kids with disabilities receive proper accommodations, I fear that they are being put into a box that is hindering their future. While every student has their own needs and restrictions, oftentimes people with disabilities are treated as if they are incapable of doing anything by themselves, when that is completely untrue. I have dyslexia, ADHD, and DCD, and yes, it has made some things harder for me. I have succeeded in school not because people held my hand but because they pushed me and believed in me despite my shortcomings. There was a very eye-opening video released recently by actress Madison Tevlin, who has Down syndrome. She points out the fact that she is pushed away and told she can't do things she is completely capable of doing because of her disability. This is exactly what I want to fix; if we don't believe that these students are able to overcome their disabilities, then we are failing them.

Movies are so important to my life; not only are they the thing that brings me the most joy and relaxation, but they also make me feel every other emotion so deeply. So if I were asked if I could only watch one movie for the rest of my life, which one would it be? That's such a hard question to answer. But, after giving it some thought, one movie came to mind—one of my favorite movies of all time—the 2008 smash hit Mamma Mia! While I could easily pick classic movies like The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, etc., I love all of those movies, but if I had to choose only one to watch forever, it would have to be Mamma Mia, and here's why: First off, it has everything I love and need to put me in a good mood: Amanda Seyfried and Meryl Streep, two of my favorite actresses; check; a beautiful, ideal Greek setting; check; and of course, the amazing soundtrack from the amazing work of one of my favorite music groups, ABBA! But also, while it may seem like a joke, Mamma Mia really has a special place in my heart. While on the outside it's just a silly jukebox musical chick flick, on the inside it's a really deep and rich story about feminism, motherhood, and accepting who you are. Mamma Mia represents four very different women but doesn't paint any of them in a harmful light. There's Rosie, the successful woman, but she doesn't paint any of them in a harmful light. There's Rosie, the successful woman, but she doesn't paint any of them in a harmful light. There's Rosie, the successful woman who doesn't really need to find love; Tanya, the many times divorced successful businesswoman; Donna, the single mother who is single and running a hotel who doesn't need or want a man (at least when we first see her); and then, to contrast Donna, there's her daughter Sophie, who, unlike her mother, wants to adhere to the classic roles set up for women; she wants the classic white fairy tale wedding; she's getting married at 20; she doesn't want to be alone. All of these women are presented in the most positive way possible. And this difference, especially between Donna and Sophie, is one of my favorite parts of the movie because we see both of them coming to the truth about what they want from their lives and each other. The movie kicks off with Sophie inviting three men who she believes could be her birth father to her wedding, because her whole life she has seen her mother as the kickbutt single mother, but a part of her wants to rebel and wants to be different, which makes her want the classic wedding life, a big part of which is having your father walk you down the aisle. Through the course of musical number after musical number, the situation Sophie created gets messier and messier until the emotional climax of the movie "Slipping Through My Fingers," where Donna gets Sophie ready for her wedding, at the end of which Sophie, after the whole course of the movie trying to find who her dad is so she can have someone walk her down the aisle, asks her mother to do so. Mamma Mia would be the movie I would choose to watch for the rest of my life because not only is it a fun time, but it has a meaningful story wrapped up in the ABBA and sparkly musical numbers, and that's all I need.

Having my very own dream house is something I've dreamed of since childhood, and when I sit down and think about it, I know exactly what I want. I'm someone who loves the different elements of all the seasons. I love the chilling cool of the winter and the snowy, holly-jolly atmosphere; I love the blooming and new beginnings of spring; I love the warmth and fun of summer; and I love just about everything about fall. So if allowed to build my own dream house, I'd make the ultimate multi-seasonal lodge—a place with all the best elements of all the seasons in one place. It would be located in a brand new four-cornered dome, with each corner representing a different season. Think of it like the Four Corners Monument, but bigger, pinker, and instead stating its seasons. I want my dream house to be a place where you can experience the little things about the seasons that warm your soul: the nostalgic 2010s energy of Christmas malls, the scary and spooky but oddly comfortable feeling of fall, the hot but electric summer, and the new beginning of spring. I chose this because I love seasons, but I often find myself wasting them by wishing I was in the other (well, except fall), during the winter, sometimes I really want some warm summer rays, and in the summer, sometimes I want a nice gust of cold winter air. With my dream house, all the seasons would be at my fingertips, and I could experience them whenever I wanted.

As someone who grew up with the Disney Channel, I've been watching Zendaya for a long time. The thing I most admire about her career is that she is insanely successful, having hits in the music, fashion, television, and movie industries, but from watching her interviews from her beginning during Shake It Up and her interviews now, she hasn't lost her realness and kindness. She could easily have a huge ego, and you can feel that she does what she does because it's what she loves. You can see this when she talks about her hit series Euphoria and the mental health discussion. And another thing is that she brings something new to each of her projects. Her performance in the Spider-Man movies is completely different than hers in Euphoria. She doesn't half do anything; she's devoted, kind, and talented, and that's what I love about her—not only that she does all these amazing things and is an insanely entertaining entertainer, but that she doesn't let that talent turn her into some image-obsessed celebrity. You also see this with her relationships; she keeps them private at the request of her partner, even if it would boost her image because, at the end of the day, she values love and relationships over fame, and that's something to look up to.

When I think about my future self, I dream of being in the education field, but more specifically, I want to be "that teacher," the teacher you remember for your whole life, the teacher that changes your life for the better forever. I can still remember Ms. Hadel, my first-grade teacher, who was so beneficial in my educational and personal life as someone who always struggled in school. She was there with me and made me believe in myself. I want to be that teacher because learning is so powerful, so that's what I dream for my future.