Growing up, I experienced my education through the viewpoints of not only students, but teachers as well. My parents are educators in the fields of elementary education and middle school science. Although both of my parents are educators and incorporated that role into my childhood, they were not the ones to inspire me to want to become a teacher. I do, however, give the credit to my second grade teacher Mrs. Rita Adams. In second grade, I contracted pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, as a result of a medical error which led to me not getting the DTaP vaccine. Typically, pertussis consists of severe coughing fits that lead to wheezing that sounds like whooping as the person having the coughing fit tries to catch their breath. In my case, however, my coughing fits lead to some unforeseen problems. My coughing fits were so severe that the pressure from the lack of oxygen caused me to have a total subconjunctival hemorrhage in both eyes as well as epistaxis hemorrhaging in the nose which led to severe nosebleeds. Similarly my coughing fits were frequent and severe enough that it would cause me to vomit multiple times a day, preventing me from sustaining nutrients without engaging in behaviors similar to binge eating. Being that pertussis is a deadly and contagious disease I was not allowed to participate in activities that would let me get close to other students like recess, group lunch, or physical education. Instead, I would sit in Mrs. Adams’ classroom doing breathing treatments and eating lunch. Mrs. Adams was the only person besides my parents that I could talk to about my problems, as many of my classmates feared the way my eyes looked, or were told to avoid me by their parents to prevent them from being exposed. Mrs. Adams treated me with compassion when few others would. She taught me to be open minded and gave me an insight into the daily lives of teachers. Her presence inspired me to want to become a teacher, and to live my life like her. I want to be able to help children who are ostracized due to uncontrollable circumstances. I aspire to become a teacher that not only impacts someone’s learning career, but also their lives. It is my hope and dream to become a teacher in a small town, away from the big school districts. I want to reach the students that don’t have access to the same tools as those that live in big cities. I want to be the impact that inspires others.

Growing up, I experienced my education through the viewpoints of not only students, but teachers as well. My parents are educators in the fields of elementary education and middle school science. Although both of my parents are educators and incorporated that role into my childhood, they were not the ones to inspire me to want to become a teacher. I do, however, give the credit to my second grade teacher Mrs. Rita Adams. In second grade, I contracted pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, as a result of a medical error which led to me not getting the DTaP vaccine. Typically, pertussis consists of severe coughing fits that lead to wheezing that sounds like whooping as the person having the coughing fit tries to catch their breath. In my case, however, my coughing fits lead to some unforeseen problems. My coughing fits were so severe that the pressure from the lack of oxygen caused me to have a total subconjunctival hemorrhage in both eyes as well as epistaxis hemorrhaging in the nose which led to severe nosebleeds. Similarly my coughing fits were frequent and severe enough that it would cause me to vomit multiple times a day, preventing me from sustaining nutrients without engaging in behaviors similar to binge eating. Being that pertussis is a deadly and contagious disease I was not allowed to participate in activities that would let me get close to other students like recess, group lunch, or physical education. Instead, I would sit in Mrs. Adams’ classroom doing breathing treatments and eating lunch. Mrs. Adams was the only person besides my parents that I could talk to about my problems, as many of my classmates feared the way my eyes looked, or were told to avoid me by their parents to prevent them from being exposed. Mrs. Adams treated me with compassion when few others would. She taught me to be open minded and gave me an insight into the daily lives of teachers. Her presence inspired me to want to become a teacher, and to live my life like her. I want to be able to help children who are ostracized due to uncontrollable circumstances. I aspire to become a teacher that not only impacts someone’s learning career, but also their lives. It is my hope and dream to become a teacher in a small town, away from the big school districts. I want to reach the students that don’t have access to the same tools as those that live in big cities. I want to be the impact that inspires others.

It is widely recognized in society that middle school girls can be unkind. This was a reality that I, as a middle school student, had to come to accept. Seventh grade was particularly challenging as the harshness between myself and my female classmates reached new heights. I was overweight, had braces, and was socially awkward. To make matters worse, my mother was a teacher at the same school I attended. I was aware that I wasn't well-liked, however, I still managed to maintain a somewhat decent relationship with my classmates. Everything changed on my thirteenth birthday. It had become a tradition for all the girls in my grade to decorate each girl's locker on their birthday and bring small gifts and treats for the birthday girl. Although I wasn't particularly close with my classmates, I assumed I would be included in this tradition. My birthday is on Valentine's Day, the day of love. There was another girl in my grade whose birthday was the following day. My birthday was on a Friday that year, and hers a Saturday. When I arrived at school, I saw that her locker had been decorated, and I held onto the hope that mine would be as well. However, as I turned the corner, I realized that it wasn't. That moment shattered me, and I hurriedly made my way to the bathroom to cry. At that moment, I felt utterly unloved. I believed, with all my heart, as I silently wept in that bathroom stall, that I was unworthy of love. I had to quickly compose myself for our weekly all-school mass, so I wiped away my tears and headed to the church across the street. My mother was aware of the tradition and could already tell from my expression what had transpired. During the Valentine's Day mass, the priest spoke about love and kindness. He shared a story about the significance of having at least one person in our lives with whom we could share unconditional love. I remember thinking that I would never be the one reciprocating that feeling. As I sat in the pew, tears were already reforming in my eyes when I had an epiphany. I realized that I could be the one to share the love, to make sure that no one would feel the way I was feeling in that moment. So I hatched a plan. I began to save my money; babysitting here or there, Christmas money, and coins I found in the street became stockpiled in a stash in my room. Then, in my eighth year, I put the money into action. That year I made sure to buy every single girl in my grade a birthday gift and decorate their locker. I knew how difficult it was to be put in a situation like mine, so I wanted to prevent it. The girls who had bullied me the year before were shocked about what I had done, this is when I realized that spreading kindness made me feel better about myself. The priest’s homily for the Valentine before came flashing back about unconditional love. I knew at that moment that I needed to be the one to spread it. Now, in my senior year of high school, I continue to spread kindness. I hope to do the same as a teacher and to help others realize the importance of kindness. Love to me is making others feel wanted and deserving of kindness. This is something that I have held onto for over five years and hope to continue to spread in the future.

No, I've never been in a love triangle, but I did want to be an artist. When I first watched the office, Pam immediately stood out to me. The more I watched, the more I realized that we had so many things in common. For me, the Office was my comfort show. If I had a bad day, if I was bored, or if I needed a good laugh, The Office was there. Just like Pam, I've always had a knack for drawing and painting. To see her struggle with wanting to be a graphic designer while balancing her work life made her relatable to me. Just like Pam, being an artist was always a job idea I put on the backburners, but unlike her, I haven't been given the chance to paint a mural at my job. The Office helped to establish my sense of humor. It made me appreciate the little things that could make others laugh, and the raunchiness that could turn a dull day around. The Office made me realize that being funny could make work less of a chore and creating friends a breeze. The show helped me open up, make more jokes, and experiment with punchlines. It’s strange to say but a show helped me come out of my shell. Seeing how many people enjoyed The Office’s humor helped me attempt to make friends through comedy. Until I watched The Office I didn't realize how a laugh could change someone's whole day. I now have a daily goal to make someone laugh or smile, either with a joke or a comeback. Not to brag, but I think I’ve become rather good at it. So yes, The Office helped make me, me. I still watch the show occasionally, but not to the extent I did years ago. However, I still live by the ideals the show established, so I am prepared to enter a real-world office one day, even if it won't be seen on TV.

Sometimes the idea of a dystopian world can be funny. I know that concept sounds crazy, but in the cinematic universe, it is entirely possible. Don’t Look Up, by Adam McKay and David Sirota is a satirical comedy on Netflix mocking how the world works from day to day but in the face of a mass extinction event. With a celebrity-ridden cast and its connectivity to the real world, this movie is bound to have you laughing and thinking. I particularly enjoyed it as it came out right after the COVID-19 pandemic became stabilized, as it was almost a reflection of how chaotic society was in 2020. This movie features people denying that the disaster is real, thus the title “Don’t Look Up.” This came as a surprise to me as only a few weeks prior people were claiming the pandemic was a hoax. At that moment I realized that this movie was so much more than people trying to figure out what to do in the face of getting obliterated by a space rock. As the plot follows the main cast as they come to terms with their reality, it is riddled with jokes and ironic scenes that have the viewer forgetting the seriousness of the situation that the characters have found themselves in. However, as the story progresses and it becomes abundantly more clear that there is nothing that is going to save humanity, the movie takes on a much more serious face. This really roped me in as a viewer, as the twist really caught me off guard and enveloped me more within the movie. You go from laughing, then to the edge of your seat, then back to laughing again. Whenever someone needs a rainy-day movie selection idea, this is the one I suggest. Although you walk away from the movie thinking primarily about its comedy aspects the true purpose will remain with you (rather than seeing someone getting eaten by a dinosaur.) I remember finishing the movie and thinking to myself that this was a little too similar to the pandemic in almost an unsettling fashion. This made the movie almost believable, based on the concept of how humans handle disasters, especially as the viewer had just experienced a real-life disaster only a year prior. I would recommend this movie to anyone as it fits into a multitude of movie genres. It’s comical, emotional, relatable, and most importantly, realistic. So as someone who has experienced the world temporarily shutting down, this movie is an eye-opener to the broadness of how humanity handles struggles, but with laughs along the way. Although it is a little lengthy, you do get the opportunity to watch a nerdy Leonardo DiCaprio for a little over two hours, making it a win in my books. I guarantee you’ll walk away from this movie with a new outlook on life or with a plethora of comedy ideas to share at your next family dinner. Either way, you’ll walk away with something more than when you went into it. Don’t Look Up is a 10/10 in my books, but you’ll have to look up from your screens to find out for yourself.

Growing up, I experienced my education through the viewpoints of not only students, but teachers as well. My parents are educators in the fields of elementary education and middle school science. Although both of my parents are educators and incorporated that role into my childhood, they were not the ones to inspire me to want to become a teacher. I do, however, give the credit to my second grade teacher Mrs. Rita Adams. In second grade, I contracted pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, as a result of a medical error which led to me not getting the DTaP vaccine. Typically, pertussis consists of severe coughing fits that lead to wheezing that sounds like whooping as the person having the coughing fit tries to catch their breath. In my case, however, my coughing fits lead to some unforeseen problems. My coughing fits were so severe that the pressure from the lack of oxygen caused me to have a total subconjunctival hemorrhage in both eyes as well as epistaxis hemorrhaging in the nose which led to severe nosebleeds. Similarly my coughing fits were frequent and severe enough that it would cause me to vomit multiple times a day, preventing me from sustaining nutrients without engaging in behaviors similar to binge eating. Being that pertussis is a deadly and contagious disease I was not allowed to participate in activities that would let me get close to other students like recess, group lunch, or physical education. Instead, I would sit in Mrs. Adams’ classroom doing breathing treatments and eating lunch. Mrs. Adams was the only person besides my parents that I could talk to about my problems, as many of my classmates feared the way my eyes looked, or were told to avoid me by their parents to prevent them from being exposed. Mrs. Adams treated me with compassion when few others would. She taught me to be open minded and gave me an insight into the daily lives of teachers. Her presence inspired me to want to become a teacher, and to live my life like her. I want to be able to help children who are ostracized due to uncontrollable circumstances. I aspire to become a teacher that not only impacts someone’s learning career, but also their lives. It is my hope and dream to become a teacher in a small town, away from the big school districts. I want to reach the students that don’t have access to the same tools as those that live in big cities. I want to be the impact that inspires others.

Since the age of eight, I’ve known that I’ve wanted to be an educator. Both of my parents are teachers, and I've always admired how they do their job, making me want to be just like them. Although the field and age range I want to work with has fluctuated, I know that it is my passion. I believe that I can bring so many things to the table, and truly benefit the lives of my students. I want to be the teacher whose classroom is like a second home; I want to be someone students trust. Similarly, I want to start or support a school softball team in order to share my sport with the youth, because I believe everyone needs a passion. I also aim to work in a public school system in a smaller town in order to benefit the kids who need it most. As the oldest sibling out of three I know that those younger than me look up to those they view as leaders, and follow their example. Keeping this in mind I plan on showing my students how a leader acts and behaves so that they will be inclined to be leaders themselves. I want to teach them to explore new things, and to take risks. I also want to embody them with the ideal that it is alright to be imperfect and to make mistakes. I believe that anyone can do anything if they believe they can. This is one of my core beliefs and I am going to instill it into my students. I know being younger can be a struggle, so I aim to strive to be there for them. I am going to work as hard as I can to inspire students to love learning. My parents have always taught me that knowledge is power, and I want to make my students feel powerful. There are too many negative things in the world to make someone feel like they can't. I believe if I can make someone believe that they can, they will be more likely to succeed in the future. I know it only takes one good leader to inspire someone for a long time, and my goal is for that to be me.