Notes
I was born into a cozy little block in Inver Grove
Heights, Minnesota, where all the neighbors were close
friends. My whole life I have gone to small schools. From
grade school to middle school my class size doubled and it
doubled again when I entered high school, yet the class size
still hadn’t reached one hundred. I graduated third in
my class and was part of the National Honor Society, as well
as being involved in many activities in and out of school. I
was president of the Spanish Volunteering group, an officer
of the St. Bernard’s Outdoors Club, the business
manager for the yearbook, stage manager for the production of
Joseph and the Amazing Techni-Color Dream Coat, as well as
being involved in liturgy committee, public achievement, and
the volleyball, softball, and bowling teams. Outside of
school I was a volunteer through my church and through the
DNR, as well as the president of my Venture Crew.
I entered the University of Wisconsin- River Falls after I
graduated and am currently a senior. I am majoring in Math
Education with a minor in Spanish Education. I have been
involved in numerous activities on campus during my three
years here: Tomorrow's Educators, Hathorn Hall Council- Wing
Representative, Community Leader, Inter-Varsity Christian
Fellowship (IVCF), Newman Club, Bushwackers Outdoors Club,
Kinniconnections Outdoor Activities, and Intramurals
(Broomball, Softball, and Volleyball).
Ever since I was little, I loved the idea of
“school.” When I was about four years old I would
always have grandma play school with me. I always wanted her
to teach me. When I became a little older, I would try to con
my brother and the neighbor boys into being my students. I
believe these experiences are the roots of my teaching dream,
but the experiences didn’t stop there.
In middle school, my brother was in an after school program,
so I was stuck after school until he was done and mom would
bring the two of us home. I became friends with my Spanish
teacher, Ms. Amy Underhill, and would hang out in her room
after school, helping her correct papers and other cool
"teacher stuff" that she would let me help out with.
In high school, I was towards the top of my class, so many of
my classmates would come to me for help with Spanish
homework, or with studying for the Physics test. Even now, in
college, some girls on my floor or in my classes ask me for
help with math homework or help understanding the story we
had to read for English class. I always loved helping my
fellow classmates or even other people in different
classes.
Since I was twelve years old, I have been babysitting. I have
had many years to perfect my skills of encouraging children,
handling them when they miss behave, and finding fun
activities to occupy them when they’re bored. Working
with Girl Scout Troop 217 also aided my dream’s growth
to become a reality. I gained the ability to organize plans
and manage the meeting times, keeping the girls busy the
whole meeting, and out of trouble. Venturing also made my
dream look more realistic. Through Venturing I have had many
experiences which I have learned many skills and lessons. My
Crew is affiliated with a Boy Scout Troop and a Cub Scout
Pack. With this affiliation, I was able to work with the
younger boys quite often. On camping trips I helped them
learn various skills, from knot tying to starting a fire to
orienteering. During Troop meetings I was always there to
help get the organized into groups for working on merit
badges or other projects.
With all my experiences, from playing school as a young child
to Girl Scouts, from babysitting to Venturing, my dream of
becoming a teacher grew more and more. Through all these
experiences I gained many skills, lessons, and abilities
which I hold to be very valuable in my quest to become a
teacher. And, now that I am in college majoring in
mathematics for secondary education, my dream is starting to
become so real that I can almost hear the students asking me
questions.