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As a child, I remember writing allllll the time. I would write stories and journal often. My most vivid memory is writing a story about ants. In addition to the writing, I drew illustrations to match. I don't remember what exactly the story was about or what the ants did, but this was the first story that I "published." Mind you, I had to have been 4 or 5 at the time. My mom edited the story, laminated the pages, and bound them together. I'm confident that she still has it in a box somewhere.

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My mom has been a teacher for pretty much my whole life. I'm 20, and she is now in her 18th year teaching. She has always been a model -- and my only real model at that. I grew up without a dad, so she was the only adult in my family whose career I was familiar with.

I would go to school all day and interact with teachers and students, then go home to a mom who is a teacher. I grew up watching her write lesson plans and spent the day in her classroom more than a handful of times. There is actually a teacher in my building right now who worked with my mom 15 years ago. She remembers seeing me in the building.

Being surrounded by school and teachers all the time surely played a role in my career choice.

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If I had to credit one teacher who truly had an impact on me both as a student and as a person, it would be Mr. Tucker. I took Mr. Tucker's AP Language and Composition class during my last year of high school. He was such an incredible teacher because he made learning about literature fun, and he also dedicated time to building a relationship with each student. I remember him telling us stories about when he worked as a writer before becoming a teacher, and he shared pieces of his own writing with us. He was also the teacher who would bring in pizza and even bought students lunch pretty frequently.

It was in his class that I really developed a love for literature and began developing my own identity as a reader and writer. I'll never forget Mr. Tucker and my time in his class.

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When I began college, I was actually a Computer Science Major. In middle and high school, I was on the Robotics team. In addition to taking Mr. Tucker's class, I also took AP Computer Science in my last year of high school. I ended up choosing CS as my major because I thought I was good at it and knew that I could make a lot of money doing it.

Fast forward to the end of my first year of college. I barely passed Calc I and II, and really just hated CS. I was having a really difficult time grasping the concepts and just couldn't get the hang of coding. It was at this point that I switched my Major to English.

This is when Mr. Tucker comes back into the picture. Although I loved literature and English, I was afraid to switch my major because I didn't think I could do anything with a degree in English. Additionally, my entire plan for my career went out the window. It was a rough time. I decided to email Mr. Tucker and ask him for advice. He agreed to meet me for coffee and help me figure out what I was going to do. At this point, I had no plans to become a teacher. He talked to me about career options and told me something that I'll never forget: "Be a tree in a play," he said to me. In other words, don't be afraid step out of your comfort zone. Those words really stuck with me.

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As I was nearing the end of undergrad, I began tossing around ideas for what to do after graduation. I came to the conclusion that I would either go to Law School or become a teacher. Obviously, I went with being a teacher.

I planned to go with the traditional route of doing a two-year Master's program, but one day my mom was scrolling through Facebook and saw a post about the Teacher Residency Program. At first, I didn't really want to join the program, but after some deliberation, she convinced me to apply. In April of this year, I received my acceptance letter, and now here I am.

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Make an impact in the classroom and in the lives of children. Become an educator that works toward equity in the educational experiences afforded to students. Teach for change. Our Teacher Residency Program has launched and we continue to seek applicants for our next residency cohorts which will focus on urban schools.

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Teaching is an immensely rewarding career with potential to shape students' lives and engage with the communities schools serve. At the Graduate School of Education, we prepare students to be highly-qualified teachers in numerous fields, including high-need certification areas.