I am the single mother to a colorful, intelligent, and loving 4-year-old girl. She is the reason I continue to push to attain my goals. To support her, I work as an Instructional Assistant at a middle school in Fairfax, VA. I assist in 7th and 8th grade self-contained English and History classes. I enjoy everything about my job from the diverse group of students to all of my colleagues who bless me with very useful instructional strategies. During my first year there, I decided that it was imperative that I continue my education so that I could get my teaching certification. I graduated from George Mason University with a B.A. in English. Following graduation, I started looking into graduate programs, and heard so many good things about UMW Graduate Education program that I decided to learn more about it. After doing a little more research, I applied and the rest is obvious. Over the course of the two years I have been attending UMW, I have not only met excellent educators, but I have had the opportunity to learn and work beside dedicated and brilliant future teachers. My future plan is to complete my internship in the fall and obtain a teaching career at my current school.