Why Am I An Educator?

First: a little backstory… My first career, if you didn’t know already, was hairstyling. After about 5 years in the industry, I realized it was not the path for me. I absolutely loved what I did and was good at it, but the physical toll it took on my body was too much - being as tall as I am, leaning over for years did a number on my back. I decided to go back to school to earn my bachelor’s degree and I decided on psychology. After earning my bachelor’s, I knew that I wanted to continue going to school for a higher degree. I settled on the field of education. I thought, “I was really good with younger clients when I did hair, I’d be great with kids.” Plus, I have always loved learning. The first week of my Master’s degree is when my life changed. It was like I had finally found my calling. Immediately after finishing that degree, I knew I wanted a terminal degree in education.

But why was education my calling?

Helping others has always been in my nature. No matter the race, religion, sex, gender, sexuality, political affiliation, or otherwise, I’ve always held the belief that we are all human and we’re all just trying to make it out of this insane world alive. I live by that mantra every day and it’s paid off - not only in the relationships I build with my students and the impact I’m lucky to get to have on their everyday lives, but also by helping them to fulfill their dreams. Given all this, alternative education has been perfect for me. For the 2023-2024 school year, 15 of the 22 seniors and 5th year students in my class alone graduated, which was the most of any other teacher in the building. Keep in mind, these are students that were far behind in credits. Last year, overall, my students completed a total of 485 classes - that’s double the standard load of a highschooler.

I say this all so that you can get a glimpse inside my mind. I am always thinking about my work. I go to sleep and wake up thinking about my students, in addition to my other endeavors, like the nonprofit I’m the President of (more on that later). My sanity ceases to exist, at times, at the expense of pouring myself into bettering the world, community, and my students. I promise that I will do nothing less on the Fenton School Board. How could I? It’s in my blood. It’s who I am. I don’t know how to not do everything I can to make this world - and more importantly: this community - better.