I went to college and studied the wrong thing. After I graduated, I found myself at a low point-- I was unhappy for several reasons, but my job was a huge part of it. I went to college so that I could be financially successful, but ultimately, the work I was doing made me miserable. I knew I wasn’t going to make as much money as a corps member but I still wanted to do something meaningful. So, I quit my job before even being accepted to TFA and put all my eggs in the application basket. Fortunately, I was accepted into the program, and that’s how I ended up here in Las Vegas.

It is amazing that I’m a teacher because I have never been a morning person, but my kids undoubtedly get me out of bed every day.  It is very motivating knowing that they rely on me to be a person who cares and who will show up for them.

That’s actually how I ended up being recruited to teach the Communities in Schools’ Academy class. My school came to me and said, “You’re already mentoring your kids. You’re already helping them apply for college. You’re already teaching them skills they need to be ready for what’s next. You are going to teach this class.” They are definitely the reason why I show up every day.

I’m still very much on my journey and my destination is not yet known. I’m still learning a lot and I’m grateful for people like Candice in my life who keep coaching me while I coach others. Still, I’m inspired by other young people in our community who are trying new things and working hard to change the system. When I was a corps member being around that energy was always invigorating.

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