Ever since I watched the Harry Potter series for the first time I have dreamed that I would be sorted into Slytherin if given the opportunity. Not because of the claims that to be sorted in this house you in some way evil or will become a death, but because I had comparable traits. Okay, I can’t lie it was also because I thought Draco Malfoy was hot and it would be amazing to be sorted into the same house as him. Then as I got older something started to change. While I still see some of the traits that would make me a perfect fit for Slytherin house, some of Ravenclaws' traits began to grow. Throughout high school, I never thought of myself as intelligent, for the facts that I wasn't in any after-school sports, clubs, organizations, or advanced classes. But over the summer of junior year, I began coaching young children how to swim and that's where I got my love for teaching. I began to question everything about who I was and what I wanted to do with my life. I started asking questions about different topics I was curious about, something I had not done before. When I was feeling stressed, as any high school senior would, I would sit down and watch a Harry Potter movie. And I began to see myself in a new light and hint it wasn't green. An iconic character from Harry Potter that I have connected with frequently is Luna Lovegood, and funny enough she is in Ravenclaw. The way her character is portrayed as the quiet, loony, intelligent girl who knows random facts that no one else does, is the same way I see myself. But in the end, she is not seen as the weird, looney girl anymore she has her ark of the story, and she helped me find mine. I learned that knowing random facts helps me as a teacher, because kids will ask you anything and everything about different topics will give me a leg up. I learned that being a little looney also allows you to be very creative. Your brain is already thinking of things outside the box, so why not embrace it and use it to create a wonderful, welcoming classroom for my students or “first years”. While I am still learning and growing on figuring out if Ravenclaw is the perfect fit for me. I do know two things; first blue has always been my favorite color and second being eccentric, creative, and clever are good things. So, I am proud to say I’m a Ravenclaw!

I dream to be a support system that my students can rely on, a business owner, a mom, and a person that breaks free from my anxiety and explores the world.

Music is an easy outlet that helps me deal with my emotions. I am not a person who usually tells people, whether it be family or friends, how I am feeling. I would rather bottle up my emotions inside and either deal with them on my own or ignore them till they come out all at once. And I know what you're thinking, that's not healthy. But it's easier to cope with the help of music than it is to change. The music I listen to rapidly changes to match the emotion I am feeling during different times of the day. Recently, a song that I have been listening to on repeat, is by a female artist who in my opinion is not super well known. But the lyrics she uses and the way she sings the song helps connect the words that are being sung to how I am feeling. Now, before I tell you what song and artist I am talking about let me give some background on why this song has the most important message to me. I am an extroverted introvert, which means that I can go out and socialize with people for a certain number of hours but I need some time alone to recharge. I have multiple different groups of friends and hang out with literally anyone, but I don't have any close friends that see the real me. I fall for guys that don't even notice me like I'm not there. Sometimes I don't even know if I stopped talking to my friends they would even notice. I feel invisible. That's why the song Invisible by Anna Clendening means so much to me. I see myself In the lyrics, for a moment it offers an escape from reality. I"m able to let go.

A person's mental health could mean the difference between life succeeding and being the happiest they could ever be. Or it could mean their life and their health crashing and burning. The way we take care of ourselves mentally, physically, and emotionally could make or break the way our lives turn out. Mental health is a serious thing. I know this because I've had points in my life where I'm at my lowest and I don't want to be here anymore. It's different for everybody and sometimes you don't see it, but you must have a support system in a way to maintain your mental wellness. And that could be different for everybody whether it be going for a daily walk, doing yoga, reading a book, or anything that takes you out of the moment of constantly thinking or making yourself feel bad. Everybody struggles with mental health at least once in their lifetime, so we must make it known that there are ways to help you get better and maintain a positive lifestyle. The way I maintain my mental health is by painting. When I paint, I let go of all my worries and I go into this relaxed state where I don't think about anything. Which is hard for me because I am constantly overthinking and going back to whatever mistakes I've made in my mind and asking myself questions like should I have picked a different option? Or why did I do that? And to be honest it took me a while to find this practice and release for my mental health. I tried going for a walk every day, but then when I forgot my headphones, I would spend the entire time worrying and overthinking which would just make my stress levels worse. So, when trying to find a way to maintain your mental wellness it's going to be a lot of trial and error to find the escape that's perfect for you. Also, having that support system I mentioned earlier allows me to know when my anxiety and thoughts are getting the best of me. I have certain tells that usually let the people around me know that I am having a lot of anxiety or zoning out. For example, one thing that I do all the time when I am severely anxious, I will rub my ear lobe. There are times that no one will notice, and I have made my ear lobe raw, so having people tell me that I need to take some deep breaths or draw to relax works. Our mental health and well-being are important, so we need to take action to ensure that we are healthy emotionally, physically, and especially mentally. And that only happens one day at a time, on your terms, and your way.

“There are those who say fate is something beyond our command. That destiny is not our own, but I know better. Our fate lives within us, you only have to be brave enough to see it.” This line is said by my favorite Disney character, Merida. She lets nothing get in her way on her mission of fighting for her own hand in marriage and saving her family. I love Disney movies and I can honestly say that Brave is one of my favorites. I relate to this character because I'm only 23 years old and my friends and family are all graduating and getting married, which is altering the way I see my destiny. My destiny is to become an elementary school teacher and impact children in the way I was impacted. Throughout my years in elementary school, I had multiple teachers who pushed me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to find different things I was passionate about. Teachers are another support system; I could go to my most trusted teachers and tell them anything. At that age, I tried to compare my life with movie characters as any other kid did. The first Disney character that taught me to be proud of who I am and to fight for what I want was Pocahontas, but once I saw Merida, I knew she was the character that I wanted to be like. When I think back to this line from the movie, I remember I'm in charge of my destiny. Merida is a character that teaches children, especially young girls, that they can do anything! And that we don’t need a prince charming to be our hero or control our destiny. Merida taught me that we can be many things in life, but we are all BRAVE!

If you were to ask my friends or family members, they would say I'm both optimistic and a pessimist. I like to think that I look at the bright side of situations and do my best to problem solve in a way that everyone benefits from. But there's not always a bright side to a situation and sometimes the first thing my mind goes two is the worst possible situation or outcome. As a teacher, you must have the mindset of a problem solver that always has other people’s emotions and lives in mind. But one aspect that I always glaze over is having these other people’s situations in control of how my life is being affected. The tough time that I want to present was during my junior year in high school. The field hockey team needed a goalie and I someone who had never played field hockey before but had years of soccer goalie training thought it'd be good idea. But things don't always turn out the way that you think they will. During this time on the field hockey team, I was bullied not in the way that people picked on me and said mean things to my face, but they decided to do it behind my back. I had been deemed an outcast the first reason my brain came up with was they were just jealous. Even when I was at my lowest, I still looked to the bright side of the situation. This situation taught me a lot about myself and my optimism in certain situations like bullying. I'm not special, everybody throughout their lives has been bullied in some way, but I like to think that my resilience to stay optimistic through tough times has taught me a lot about who I am.

Passion, the word is defined as a strong feeling or emotion. But it's not the same feeling for everyone, my passion is teaching. But to become a teacher and submerge myself in my passion for teaching I must get my degree in education. I have always been someone who doesn't see myself as smart in the way of school. But I'm a person who loves reading so many different things that I no fax that I have no purpose of knowing. And I didn't realize it until last semester, but I enjoy learning! And I want to teach children that even though it's hard and sometimes not fun you can find your passion in learning. Yes, I am passionate about receiving my education for the fact that it will allow me to pursue my passion for teaching. But I'm also passionate about receiving my education because it's making me a better person it's opening different doors for me personally. And what I mean by that is I have always been a person who has struggled with anxiety and throughout my educational career I have opened myself a little bit more to where I'm stepping out of my comfort zone. If this is a sign that education can help people be passionate about different things, then I want to teach children to love learning and to be passionate about receiving different levels of education. I thought that when I went to college, I would go for a maximum of four years to get it done and then graduate with my degree. But things changed, after graduating from Northern Virginia Community College with my associate's degree in Teacher Specialization I transferred to George Mason University to get my bachelors in Elementary Education. But then I realized that I wanted a longer college experience, so I majored in Integrative Studies with a concentration in Liberal Arts for the Teaching Profession. This allowed me to take multiple different classes in different areas to see if I'm passionate about anything else. And it turned out that I enjoyed psychology, so I minored in childhood studies and decided to get my master’s degree in elementary education. So, for the next two years, I will be finishing up my undergraduate degree and then pursuing a master’s degree. This will allow me to further enrich my passion for education and share my passion for education with others. Whether they be my students or my coworkers, everybody should have at least one passion in their life. For some, it may be art or traveling, but for some, it might be the feeling and emotion that they get from learning something new. There's always one specific area that piques my interest in education and that's history figuring out why something took place and who was involved in it. There's a show called Outlander that talks about many different historic events that took place in Scotland, while some of them might not be factual it pertains to areas that I'm passionate about history, and learning. To sum it up and answer your question on why I'm passionate about receiving my education, the simple answer is I love learning. It's an escape from reality in some instances, and it's a passion that I will continue exploring for years to come.

I want you to close your eyes and imagine that you are a 12-year-old girl who decided she wanted to be a scientist when she grew up; but was constantly told that it was a job for men. That little girl was me. I wanted to be a scientist when I grew up, but my peers made me feel like I wouldn’t be able to. But I remember one of my teachers said something that I have continued to live by to this day: “if a man can do something, so can a woman and if a man can't, find a woman who can.” It meant so much to me as a young girl even if I never went into the science field. It gave me hope and pushed me to be the best I could be regardless of my gender. Which is important now with the state our society is in and how people are judged based on how well they can do something because of their gender. I believe that whether you are young girl or a grown woman if you need something done what's stopping you from doing it yourself? We are just as smart and capable as a man; we don't have to be dependent on anybody else except for ourselves. My teacher is not the only person who throughout my life has made me realize that I can be just as successful as a man. My dad is a man who tries to teach me everything I need to know that will help me survive when I'm on my own. Things like how to change a tire, how to mow the lawn or cook. He teaches me daily that I am a strong, capable, and independent woman. I can do anything a man can do!