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I grew up outside of Tulsa, OK. I went to public school through high school, but was simultaneously enrolled in high school, community college, and culinary school starting junior year. COVID started when I was a junior. When schools shut down, it gave me a chance to slow down and grow as a person. In school I was very rarely taught correctly as a student with mental illness, so the main reason I chose education is to make sure none of my students deal with the same school environment that I did.

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Now, I live in a little apartment with my roommate, their cat, and my two gerbils (Sam & Dean). I am still pursuing education with a focus in English and plans to be a professor at university after completing a doctorate. I am luckily in college on scholarship and my own hard work, with very little loans. I plan to stay in Arkansas for grad school if I can get a Comp teaching position, or move back to Oklahoma.

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I am very fortunate to have a job that I don't mind working at. I work at a sandwich shop in Springdale and have been since I quit substitute teaching in August. When I'm not at work or doing schoolwork, I enjoy video games, reading and writing. My bookshelf continues to grow and I have many plants that I care for as well. Other favorite activities include going to the library, painting or drawing, and napping.

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I have loved English since I learned how to read. I am continuously collecting novels and poetry collections that I love and I have always had a passion for knowledge and the connections to others that literature provides.

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Why did I decide to be a teacher?
Because school was rarely fun for me. My teachers often didn't care to teach someone who had a learning difference (I don't particularly like using the words "learning disability") and I was often left bored and uninterested in any subject other than English. I decided earlier this year that being a professor was the right route for me because of the content levels and areas that interest me.