 In my life, the reason I succeed is simply because I care. One day I saw this little ad in the San Francisco Chronicle, said Latin teacher wanted. I loved the real, living, organic experience of being with kids in the classroom. I grew up as a peacemaker and a change maker. And so I knew from the time I was in middle school when I was on the advice column that I wanted to make a difference for people, that I wanted to help people. My favorite part about my job is the kids for sure. I really enjoy having so many interactions with them. I love the days that I spend the whole day with kids. Fairfield U seemed like my first and most logical choice because there's a real important message that permeates every class, a message about service, a message about respect of the student, a message about the professionalism of educators. Fairfield stood out to me because of the focus on lifelong learning and using your knowledge to benefit the lives of others, the Jesuit philosophies. It changed the way I teach, not in the particulars, but in the philosophy. The idea that students should be having ownership over what they learn and the more ownership you give them, the better product you're going to get. Fairfield was that exact match of personal development, professional development, the promotion of my skills to help make a difference in the world.