Statement

Straight out of high school I will admit that I wasn't really sure what I wanted from my life. I didn't have a plan as to what I wanted to do or become.  I took college courses because that's what I was supposed to do, ad I took classes that were fun and challenging and exciting.  When I was offered a job at a supplemental instruction facility in Round Rock, Texas I withdrew from school and left to experience life away from home and classes.  What I gained from my time at Sylvan Learning Center as their Prescription Quality Review Manager, Lead Math Instructor, and Head Diagnostician was that seeing that look of understanding on a struggling student's face was worth more than any paycheck.  As their teacher standards caught up to the number of teachers in their employ, I found myself off the instruction table due to a lack of a college degree. I returned home, determined to complete my degree and do that which had called me: teaching.  Hard times hit my family, however, and the summer data entry position I had at CEVA Logistics turned into a full-time career of five years.  It was during those five years that I really matured.  I learned to manage my time effectively, completing multiple projects of great scale and complexity in a timely and orderly manner.  I learned to diffuse anger and aggression in my customers and coworkers with a pleasant and warm demeanor that spoke of confidence, caring, and grace.  I learned to work within a team, as a member and a leader.  I learned the fast paced world of corporate industry, and I learned that I ached to teach, to instruct, to inspire.  I returned to school and took a position in the Learning Assistance Center as an Instruction Leader.  I worked in the Undergraduate Research Lab with Dr. Lawton on an Outreach Project that is in currently in process of making an art instillation for IMAS, McAllen, Texas.  I was never so happy, content, and fulfilled as I was when I was helping students to master a skill they felt was beyond them. I never felt such pride as I did when a former student would pass me in the hall and thank me for helping them achieve what they had thought impossible.  I want this. I want this more than merely wanting. I am called to this, and to the students I will teach, I shall always strive to be that which inspired them to accomplish something they never thought they could.