Growing up I loved school. In elementary I loved learning to read and write and doing a variety of arts and crafts. One reason I loved going to school was because of my teachers. As I got into the older grades, teachers continued being a large influence on my schooling. I focused hard on my studies and was always setting high goals for myself. I started to realize a lot of my success was not only from my own personal motivation, but also because of my nurturing educators who were passionate in what they were doing. Sports were a big part of my elementary and high school days as well. Being a part of several teams not only strengthened my interpersonal and leadership skills, but I also was able to focus heavy on teamwork and cohesion. In grade 10, it was mandatory to take a planning course. One of the main projects was to research intensely about what we wanted to be when we grew up. I had set in my mind I wanted to do kinesiology / physiotherapy. We even took an online test which helped us see what our career results may entail. What were my top two career choices? Physiotherapy and teaching.

 Once I graduated high school, I went onto post-secondary at Kwantlen Polytechnic University where I spent two of my years in the Bachelor of Arts program, doing various introductory courses, mainly focusing on psychology. I spent the same two years on the varsity women’s basketball team continuing my passion in basketball. I loved the fact that I was able to pursue my studies and continue playing sports at the same time. The only problem was I did not feel like I was in the right path for pursuing my education. My heart was still set on either kinesiology or teaching, yet in that moment I had only one focus: basketball. How was I able to continue playing sports and also go into a program which was fit for my future career?

It was in 2010 I decided to make a switch. I had two amazing years playing basketball for a university, but it was time to move on. I transferred to Douglas College where I completed a 2 year Kinesiology minor and completed an additional 2 years to receive a Bachelor in Physical Education and Coaching. I loved the academics I was learning. My path for kinesiology slowly turned into teaching and only teaching. As I continued taking education and sport science courses (sport injuries, inclusion, development, etc…), I knew I was heading in the right path. I also did a number of fieldwork hours through my program at different high schools in Surrey, volunteering my time helping teach physical education courses. My final year at Douglas I volunteered coaching a grade 8 high school basketball team. My love for teaching grew even more. Coaching was on the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life and I believe it falls great in the line of teaching.

In conclusion, teaching has always been a part of my life one way or another. It took time and searching to decide what I really wanted to do with my life and teaching fell right into place. I believe teachers have such a large impact on students’ lives and I had so many great teachers in my life, I want to give back to students what teachers helped give me.