Becoming a teacher is certainly the best decision I have ever made in my life. No matter the stress going on in my life, when I walk into a classroom, I feel that I have a greater purpose, to do a job bigger than myself. I feel lucky and ecstatic to work so hard at something so meaningful, and feel like teaching has added meaning to my life.

As a student growing up I had a really hard time at school. My education was very rote, and I didn’t always fit into the box my teachers tried to put me in. I was an outgoing kid who didn’t always want to read from a book and live for science class. It wasn’t until I got to high school and got to choose my classes that I began to get excited about my schooling. There I took art, joined clubs, and had teachers who allowed me to work creatively. This inspired me to look for a liberal arts college and get an education that was well-rounded.

Coming from Berkeley California, I lived in a bubble where everyone had the same liberal ideas, yet there was a disconnect between the Bay Area and the outside world. At 15, I went abroad to Italy for a year. There I discovered how different people and mindsets impact the laws and lifestyles we live. When I came back I knew I wanted to study the politics and policies that kept society divided. When I chose Clark I felt that I had found a place for me to research my theories, challenge my thinking, and provide a brand new setting in which to test myself.

At Clark I focused my studies on urban policies and economic divisions in society. As my major became more specific I began working at an education non-profit that helped research and shape education policy in Worcester. Working with the Worcester Education Collaborative allowed me to see how policy is made, and why schools operate as they do. During that time I also got a job as a classroom assistant, working for a kindergarten teacher at Woodland Academy. Working in the classroom allowed me to see the policies I had researched, like school suspension rates, in action. I could see from a teacher’s perspective why this was happening, and the impact of this trend from an urban policy perspective.

When I finally had the opportunity to choose a career, I knew I wanted to be a teacher and work with children. Nothing I had done had brought me such joy, today I get up each day passionate and excited, ready to teach. I am so grateful for my job and all of the experiences Woodland Academy, the Worcester Education Collaborative, and Clark University have given me. Thank you!