"Oh, how sweet it is!" The hope and enlightened smile displayed after each Math problem by Mr. Santos, my Calculus professor, pleasantly invited each of us his students to indulge in the numerous benefits Mathematics had in store. He radiated passion because his profession, and it made me jealous of his happiness. I had been noticing brief patterns of my love for teaching since I was in elementary. One of my initial mentors was Mrs. Rodriguez; she guided me through my initial U.I.L competitions by motivating and providing that motherly presence in my school. Her rigorous attitude towards learning helped me perceive the acquisition of knowledge as a rare gift and one to be taken seriously rather than as a joke. As a child, a great fear of mine was not having friends, but every teacher made me feel at ease. I looked forward to the Good Life Celebrations (which took place each month and lasted approximately two hours during the day) because I could get to go to Mrs. Rodriguez's classroom and digest Math. I arrived there not only to mechanically …show more content…
As it became known what professions each classmate sought after graduating, Mr. Santos decided to enhance my mentor skills by allowing me to direct the class for as long as I could while he constructively criticized me from the corner of the room. I ended as Salutatorian for my class, and for most of my peers, that implied I should strive for money rather than passion. My "lived experience [acted as an] important part of [my] personal and professional development," for I sensed how my path should transpire based on my joyous prior experiences (Guajardo 10). I needed to become that beacon of hope for my grasshoppers just as my parents and professors were for