As the oldest of three siblings, not attending college was never presented as an option to me; not because holding a degree was a tradition in my family, in fact it was quite the opposite – only one of my family members, held a college degree. My parents instilled in me that pursuing higher education was going to lead to a more stable, comfortable, and empowering life than they were afforded. What I didn’t fully realize at the time was my parents could not afford to pay for my schooling and desperately wanted me to graduate without debt (especially since I wanted to be an educator). They knew how difficult it was raising a family on government assistance and high school diplomas. Their relentless mission and model of hard-work pushed me to obtain a four-year academic scholarship which allowed my family and I to shoulder the weight of tuition.

After high school graduation, I was proudly off to Polk Community College where I earned my AA after two years of working full-time and being a full time student. I then transferred to USF where I had the privilege to worked closely with a wonderful cohort of like-minded students to earn my Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and ESOL Endorsement, again while working full time. It was then that my hard work and dedication to learning paid off- I got my first teaching job.

I could finally work ONE JOB, right? I quickly learned I was NOT prepared for what laid in store for me as a new 5^th grade teacher at a socio-economically disadvantaged school. It was here that I learned how diverse student’s adversities can be. I was not prepared for how hard I was willing to fight for my students to earn a fair and equal education. I was not prepared for bringing my students food as rewards because they wanted to earn them to take them home for their families. I was not prepared to attend football games, BBQs, and become a part of a community and their family! I was not prepared for the love and tears we would share together as I became someone to trust and confide in. I was also not prepared for someone amazing to come into my life to share all these beautiful and transformational moments with.

Twelve years later, I am working harder than ever to help others become their best selves whether it be through mentorship, as an educator, or as an instructional designer- hoping to elevate others to fulfill their own destinies through recognition of their adversity and of those around them.