As I dream about my future career options, I continue to deliborate what my final career

choice will be. However, one thing has remained consistent, and that is my desire to
choose a career that involves making a positive impact on the lives of children. Although
I am still uncertain whether I want to be a teacher, an occupational therapist, or a
speech pathologist, I am confident that any one of these professions will allow me the
opportunity to impact the lives of children.

More than often, individuals that are considering joining the teaching profession are
encouraged to seriously consider their path of interest because this is a profession that
demands many things from teachers that are above and beyond solely teaching. I have
also come to believe that those who are truly great teachers do it for their love of the
students that they work with. The majority of the teachers that I have had over the past
thirteen years in Virginia Beach’s school system have made an impact on me as both a
student and as an individual, and those were the teachers that genuinely showed a love
for the profession and for me as a student. Teachers like Ms. Megan Wong have shown
me the importance of choosing a profession that I have a passion for. My time as Ms.
Wong’s student inspired me to search for a profession that would be fulfilling and
rewarding. I observed her loving her job as a teacher mostly because she inspired
others to love themselves too by believing in themselves and pushing themselves to
work hard and persevere through challenging tasks. She has ultimately inspired me to
impact students’ lives in a very similar way that she has impacted mine, through
teaching.

My personal experiences have also played an important part in my decision to enter the
teaching profession. My time spent as a Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow intern, the
additional volunteer work that I have done at local elementary schools and middle
schools, my involvement in my school’s Best Buddies program, and the volunteer work
that I had done with Young Life Capernaum have all proven to me that I feel a great
sense of fulfillment in helping children, specifically children with special needs. I am
confident that my future as an educator would provide me with the opportunity to
change the lives of the students that I will be working with.