Every morning when I walk into my classroom, I'm reminded of why I chose this path. As a paraprofessional in special education, I get to witness those small victories that others might miss, a student finally mastering a sound they've struggled with, or finding the confidence to raise their hand in class. These moments hit close to home for me, bringing back memories of my own journey with stuttering and speech challenges. I still remember sitting in the back of my school classroom growing up, heart racing whenever the teacher asked for volunteers to read aloud. Those experiences shaped me in ways I never expected. Now, at 30, I see how they've become my greatest strength in connecting with my students. When a child struggles to get their words out, I don't just sympathize – I truly understand. I know what it's like to have thoughts trapped inside, fighting to break free. Working as a paraprofessional these past few years has been more than just a job. It's shown me what I was meant to do. There's something powerful about being the person I needed when I was younger. Whether I'm helping a student work through a difficult passage or celebrating their progress in speech therapy, I see pieces of my own story in theirs. The difference is, they don't have to face these challenges alone. Teaching isn't just about lesson plans and curriculum standards. It's about building trust, creating safe spaces, and showing kids that their struggles don't define them. Every day, I learn something new from my students – about resilience, determination, and the pure joy of breaking through barriers. They've taught me that everyone has their own timeline for growth, and that's perfectly okay. As I pursue my teaching degree, I'm not just chasing a career change – I'm following a calling that's been years in the making. My experiences, both personal and professional, have shown me that the most meaningful teaching often happens in those quiet moments of understanding between teacher and student. I want to be the teacher who gets it, who sees potential where others might see problems, and who helps students find their voice – literally and figuratively. The path to becoming a teacher might not be traditional for someone my age, but then again, the best journeys rarely are. My students have already taught me the most important lesson: that our challenges can become our greatest gifts in helping others. I can't think of a better way to spend the next chapter of my life than in a classroom, creating the kind of inclusive, understanding environment that every student deserves.

Growing up with speech and stuttering challenges, I intimately understood what it meant to feel different in a classroom. Each raised hand brought anxiety, each group presentation a mountain to climb. But those struggles planted a seed - one that would later bloom into my life's calling as a special education teacher. For the past three years as a paraprofessional working with first and second graders, l've discovered that my past challenges weren't just obstacles to overcome - they were preparation for understanding my students on a deeper level. When I see a child struggling to form words or fighting to maintain eye contact, I don't just see a student who needs help; I see a reflection of my younger self, and more importantly, I see unlimited potential waiting to be unlocked. My passion for special education stems from witnessing daily miracles: the nonverbal student who finally says "good morning," the child with sensory issues who learns to regulate their emotions, or the student with learning differences who discovers they can indeed master multiplication. These victories, however small they might seem to others, represent monumental achievements in our world. Working with special needs students isn't just a career choice - it's a calling that allows me to transform my own past challenges into stepping stones for others. The statement "I have learned that the purpose of teaching is to bring the student to his or her sense of his or her own presence" Is simply amazing! To me, this means guiding students to recognize their own worth, capabilities, and unique place in the world. It's about helping them find their voice - whether that voice comes through words, gestures, art, or technology. My mission is to create an environment where every student feels seen, heard, and valued, regardless of their challenges. To accomplish this, I believe in building a foundation of trust and understanding with each student, celebrating their individual progress rather than comparing them to standardized benchmarks. It means adapting teaching methods to match each student's unique learning style, and most importantly, helping them recognize their own strengths and abilities. When a child begins to understand their own presence - their impact on the world around them - they begin to flourish in ways that transcend traditional academic measures. Once upon a time, there was a teacher named Sarah who carried a special mirror in her classroom. But this wasn't an ordinary mirror - it was the Mirror of Possibilities. Each morning, she would invite her students to look into it, but many were afraid of what they might see. You see, some students spoke differently, some moved differently, and others saw the world differently from their peers. Sarah understood their fear because she too had once been afraid to look in mirrors, worried about seeing someone who struggled to speak clearly. But she knew the mirror's secret: it showed not just reflections, but potential. When Tommy, who hadn't spoken in months, gazed into the mirror, he saw himself conducting a symphony of words. When Maria, who struggled with numbers, looked in, she saw herself solving complex puzzles with confidence. Day by day, Sarah helped each student discover their reflection in the Mirror of Possibilities. She showed them that their differences weren't flaws but superpowers in disguise. And slowly, something magical happened - the students began to see these possibilities even without the mirror. They had discovered their presence, their place in the world, and their power to shape it. In the end, Sarah realized that the real magic wasn't in the mirror at all - it was in helping each student recognize their own unique light. And in doing so, she had found her own. This fairytale reflects my deepest aspirations as a special education teacher. Like Sarah, I aim to be more than just an educator - I want to be a guide who helps students discover their own presence and potential. This scholarship would help me continue my journey from paraprofessional to certified special education teacher, allowing me to make an even greater impact in the lives of students who, like my younger self, are waiting to discover their own possibilities.