The teacher that affected my life the most was my middle school social studies teacher, Mrs. Carrington, who also ran the after school Model U.N and Model Congress club. I have always had a love for history and current events and never had an outlet to explore that interest in School. I was often bored by the curriculum in my classes and would do a lot of reading about the things I was interested in and often ignore my assignments for school. Mrs. Carrington went out of her way to engage her students and make her class interesting and fun. She also encouraged me to explore the things I was interested in, like maps and geography, and gave me the confidence to enter and win my school’s Geography bee. Her hands on approach to teaching showed me how exciting education could be and fueled my curiosity. These experiences guided me to excel in the humanities and influenced my major in English and minor in History that I have today.

Recently I have had the opportunity to teach improv comedy to other students and community members in my college town. I began doing improv as a freshman in college and immediately fell in love with it. I realized, through improv, that there was value in the ability to get out of your head and think on your feet. This motivated me to share the values of improv and try and teach others, through weekly classes, which I taught and organized. It really was meaningful to see people learn the necessary skills and improve their confidence, which has influenced me to get more involved in education. In the future I want to continue to get involved in community organizing and teaching. I also have a passion for writing and literature, and would love to make a career path as a fiction writer, journalist, or editor.