# data[].attributes.body
It was 1991. A little girl was born. Striving and eager... she was to be called, Emily. Emily - a Latin baby name deriving from the name 'Aemilia' meaning striving and eager.

Although Emily's parents were not aware of the strong meaning behind the name at the time, she was a child who made great efforts to get what she wanted and kept an enthusiastic love for life from day one. Her parents simply loved the name, just as they loved their new baby girl.

Since the year of her birth, Emily has been in the top 10 for most popular baby names in USA. This is a name that can be sweet and classic. Emily can be a playful baby, an angsty teenager, or a professional adult. Although the name is common, the person with the name can be rare and unusual.
1960 #251
1970 #173
1980 #31
1990 #10
1995 #3
1996-2007 #1
2010 #6
2015 #8

She may answer to Em, Emmy, or Emma...with an eager spirit and a striving personality to fit her name, Emily would go many places near and far... there is no other name that could fit her the way this one does.

Taylor, my middle name. My family is full of music lovers and musicians. I was simply named after James Taylor. An American singer/guitarist. I grew up listening to his songs and was always mad I was named after a BOY! Now....I apprectiate it! My brother was born 5 years later and was also named after a musician, Miles Davis. I guess I will have to give my children middle names after musicians, too.... :)

This picture represents my name perfectly as you can see my name on the hat I crafted. I was a very happy little girl, and very proud to tell anyone my name.

Emily, 1992

# data[].attributes.headline
Your favorite characteristic: Humor & Positivity

# data[].attributes.subject
Your favorite characteristic: Humor & Positivity

# data[].attributes.body
My favorite characteristic is my ability to always find humor or positivity in any situation. I feel that being positive has come naturally to me most of my life, and I am grateful for that. My family loves to laugh together, and we constantly build each other up in order to find sunshine during dark or stressful times. "Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow."

This picture represents the humor and positivity within my family and I. This is my mom, aunt, cousin, and I hiking in Moab, Utah. We noticed my mom had sunscreen on her nose after we were hiking for a while, so we all decided to join her for the rest of the hike. This represents how silly we are together.

Emily, Mary, Amy, Erika, 2015

# data[].attributes.body
Family portraits, and candid photos during holidays or family reunions have always been so important. When you go to my grandmothers home, generations and decades of photos are displayed in every corner. These photos preserve our family story in the form of images. Each picture has a story behind it, a struggle, a success, or an emotion. For my family, the camera represents the beauty of being able to capture and preserve these memories and our family story.

This picture represents the important object, a camera, because it was taken on a very special trip to Saint Simons Island. This trip to Saint Simons Island was with my grandparents, aunts, and my mother. We were able to create lasting memories, and those photos taken with that camera will preserve those for us. Generations in the future will be able to see the pictures taken with that camera, and for just a moment, be there with us.

Saint Simons Island, 2016

# data[].attributes.body
My privilege is the ability to travel and experience new people, places, and cultures. I feel that this is my privilege because I come from a family who was able to take me on trips throughout my childhood and teen years. When I had the desire to travel on my own, my parents were able to provide me the opportunity to live at home and save money for a year. I am very grateful they allowed me to live at home and save money for a month long travel experience.

This picture represents what an absolute privilege it was for my boyfriend and I to travel Europe together. We sit on the top of the Sibillini Mountains in Umbria, Italy (3 weeks into our travels) reflecting on our trip....and taking a selfie. I am grateful.

Emily, Mick, 2016

# data[].attributes.body
My grandparents raised 5 girls in Salt Lake City (including my mother) in the 1960's and 1970's. During this time in the area they lived in it was uncommon that Mormons and Catholics connected with each other. There were stereotypes about both groups of people, and they were not meant to hang out with each other after school, at school, at home, etc. My mom grew up with a way of thinking about "Mormons", and she said that she was determined to walk away from stereotyping someone because of their religion. Now, when we say we are from Utah, people will ask "Are you Mormon?"

This picture represents my cultural biases as it is a photo of my grandmother in Utah during the 1960's. This was where she raised my mom and her 4 sisters, and the town in which these biases began to form.

Patricia, 1960's

# data[].attributes.headline
Your cultural values and belief: Caring for your elders

# data[].attributes.subject
Your cultural values and belief: Caring for your elders

# data[].attributes.body
Valuing family and respecting your elders is extremely important in my family. My grandparents and family members are everything to me. I hope to pass down the important value of caring for/respecting your elders to my future children.

This picture represents this important value because as my grandparents age, they are not able to travel easily without help. My mother and I accompany them on trips and care for them in the ways they cared for us. In the photo is my "Poppy" in the hat, "Grammy", my mom, and I. We have such a wonderful time together, and they deserve the care they provided for the both of us.

Dave, Patricia, Mary, Emily, 2015

# data[].attributes.headline
Literacy practices of your everyday life

# data[].attributes.subject
Literacy practices of your everyday life

# data[].attributes.body
*See in person*

# data[].attributes.headline
Your favorite literacy experience: Reading books

# data[].attributes.subject
Your favorite literacy experience: Reading books

# data[].attributes.body
My favorite literacy experience is simply reading a book. I love to read Historical Fiction and Young Adult Fiction. I try to read one book a week, but during the school year it can be challenging. As of now, I aim for a new book each month. After I read a book, I like to read and write reviews on an app called Goodreads. This keeps me engaged with fellow book lovers and gives me a chance to discuss/analyze my reading. I also love to read to my neighbors daughter, and my little niece. Providing them with the opportunity to become readers so young makes me happy.

This picture represents my favorite literacy experience, which is simply reading books. This is a picture of my neighbors daughter (10 months old), and some hard cover baby books I gave her. She already loves to be read to and loves to flip through the pictures. It is so enjoyable to simply read to her.

Scarlett, 2017

# data[].attributes.headline
The Important Book: A wagon full of books

# data[].attributes.subject
The Important Book: A wagon full of books

# data[].attributes.body
There is not one important book that defines my literacy experiences in life so far, but a variety of books. Starting at the age of 1 or 2, I went to the library with my mother almost every single weekend. There was no limit as to how many books I could check out, and we filled a wagon full of books each time. These books built my love for reading, and these library trips enriched my literacy experience as a growing child. I still find comfort in collecting stacks of books and quiet afternoons spent at the library.

Some of my favorite books were:
Stellaluna
The Rain Babies
The Rainbow Fish
A Bad Case of Stripes
The Stinky Cheese Man
Jamberry
Mercer Mayers' books
Arthur series
Franklin series
Roald Dahls' books
Louis Sachars' books
Kevin Henkes' books
The Baby-Sitters Club series

This picture best represents this because it is photo of me at age 3 with stacks of library books. This was a very common sight to see when I was growing up, and perfectly represents the "important books" in my life.

Emily, 1994

# data[].attributes.headline
My strength: teaching culturally diverse students

# data[].attributes.subject
My strength: teaching culturally diverse students

# data[].attributes.body
My strength for teaching culturally diverse students is my ability and desire to build strong connections with each student. I accept the challenge when it comes to connecting to a variety of students from many diverse backgrounds. I believe it is a strength of mine to communicate with shy, troubled, or "labeled" students. I do my best to learn about their interests, backgrounds, languages, home lives, and personalities.

This picture represents my strength in teaching culturally diverse students as it is a picture of my 3rd grade students and I. This picture shows just how truly diverse the schools I will be working in are. All of these students come from different cultures. These students all speak different languages at home, practice different religions, have immigrant families, diverse home lives, etc. I was able to build a very strong connection with each individual student and get to know them in a unique way.

3rd graders, Emily, 2016

# data[].attributes.headline
Your cultural discomfort and fears: Running/hiking alone or with girls only

# data[].attributes.subject
Your cultural discomfort and fears: Running/hiking alone or with girls only

# data[].attributes.body
As there are so many news stories and social media posts in this world, running alone has become uncomfortable for me. I used to feel safe to go on a run in my neighborhood or a local park, but I have become very uneasy. I have found I will feel particularly uncomfortable when I am running in a park and there is a man headed past or towards me. This is discomfort I have developed because of cultural influences and media that surrounds me.

This picture best represents my cultural discomfort and fear as it is a photo of my girlfriends and I hiking in the woods. We all agree that we feel uncomfortable when a man approaches when we are a few miles into a hike or a run. I feel most comfortable when we hike with each other in a group, but it is a common fear among us.

Emily, Lauren, Lauren, 2016

# data[].attributes.headline
My weakness: teaching culturally diverse students

# data[].attributes.subject
My weakness: teaching culturally diverse students

# data[].attributes.body
A struggle I have when it comes to teaching culturally diverse students is the ability to integrate multicultural literature, activities, and assignments into each lesson. I know this is the best practice to engage all students and connect with them on the most meaningful level. How do I integrate these culturally diverse aspects into a fast paced, (sometimes) micro-managed curriculum plan? How do I know which materials and books are correct for my group of students?

This picture represents my weakness in teaching culturally diverse students, which is integrating multicultural literature and activities into daily lessons. This picture is of my boyfriend and I sitting at a vineyard on our backpacking trip. We were in an area of Italy where no one at all spoke English, and we were definitely out of our comfort zone. We were looking out to a country unknown to us, opening our minds and doing our best to understand their culture. This is a representation of me as a teacher, because there will be days where I feel out of my comfort zone integrating multicultural literature into the classroom. I may feel that I do not know how to correctly do this, but I need to sit back and do my best. Embrace the diversity, and eventually the multicultural integration will start to come naturally.

# data[].attributes.body
This is how I see myself. Happy, positive, and ready to take on any adventures that come my way. I try not to take myself too seriously, and find the beauty in the little details of everyday life.

This picture best represents how I see myself as you can see I am in a silly pose, with a smile on my face. I am looking out on a beautiful landscape with hopes for my future and inspired thoughts.

Emily, 2015

# data[].attributes.body
I am Emily
Positive & full of smiles
Traveling the world
Loving my family
Laughing & connecting
Honoring my grandparents
Knowing my students