I was born in Anderson, Indiana, the first child and only daughter to a northern Pennsylvania-bred father and a southern-Louisiana mother. My family, and specifically the backgrounds of my parents, has had a profound impact on the person I am today. From my father, I inherited a strong work ethic and a determination to accomplish whatever I set out to do. My father was a teacher for many years and he instilled in me the importance of education and life-long learning. As a result, I’m still taking college courses and always looking to learn new things. From my mother, I got my sense of responsibility to family and to those around me. I have witnessed countless times when my mother reached out to people in their times of distress to help meet their material needs or just offer friendship and a listening ear. I …show more content…
From the time I was very young, I’ve always believed that with hard work, I could accomplish anything I wanted. Although I love to travel and explore new cultures and new ways of life, I am truly a patriotic American and have a great love for my country. Education has always been important to me. I always knew that I would go to college, though I wasn’t always so sure about what I’d study. I began as a nursing major, but after spending a summer working with children, I changed my major to education. I got my undergraduate and graduate education degrees from University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. I have loved teaching so much that I’ve gone back to school to add new certifications and have taught everything from 1st grade to college! The influence of my parents and brothers, though always present, has been displaced by that of the family I have helped to create for myself. My husband and I have four children who bring us much joy and many challenges. From them I have learned to temper determination with patience and responsibility with