I always knew I wanted to become an educator.  With that in mind I sought out every opportunity to make my dreams a reality.  

 

During my preparation for college I was awarded over 9 scholarships to help me fulfill my dreams of teaching.  Upon entering college I joined the teacher club on campus and became Vice President. Later, in my educational career I was accepted into Kappa Delta Pi- the International Education Honor Society.  The following year, I ran for President and successfully entered office. I spread the word around campus and helped to make KDP triple in size! Upon graduating college I received a distinct honor – (only one student is selected each year) The Outstanding Academic Achievement Award for Teacher Education.

 

Since graduating college, I taught in three different districts, totaling eight years in many different positions - 1st, 3rd, and 4th grade. During this time, I was able to manage teaching a classroom, running multiple extracurricular clubs each week, and I even created some of my own after school activities. I gained the respect of parents and students both in and out of the classroom. I have been able to instill a love of learning in my students of all ages. I did this all while completing my Masters of Reading Degree.

 

During my Master's program I was selected by one of my professors to help co-publish a research article about my school’s literacy program. I am currently in the process of writing this piece of work. During my last course of graduate study (a summer reading specialist internship) the director of the program hired me on the spot for the following summer. I was chosen out of 30 graduate students because of my work ethic and ability to reach student interests in a creative and engaging way. I have been working at Montclair State University as a reading specialist ever since.