I would pass out food, talk with people, and ask if there was anything they needed that the Dream Center could provide. Sometimes, I was the only person who talked to them that day. It was a very humbling and life-changing experience to hang out with people experiencing homelessness. It helped me realize how privileged I am in this world.
When my time at the Dream Center ended, I went back to school to study education at Indiana University East. This is a different college in Richmond, Indiana. I chose to go there because I could save money by living with my mom, and I could be near my family again.
After graduating from college with my Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in October of 2020, I started my first teaching job. I taught first graders reading and math completely on-line. I was a long-term substitute teacher from November through January. Then I got offered a job to teach eighth grade math at Test Middle School in Richmond, Indiana from January 2021 through May 2021. It was strange going from teaching phonics to solving linear equations, but it was so fun!
After teaching eighth grade, I taught fifth grade math at Test from August 2021 through December 2021. I needed a change of pace from living in Richmond with my mom, so I moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, in January 2022. I got a job as an interventionist at Paul Miller Elementary School. An interventionist helps students who are struggling in school, usually in math and reading. I took students out of class and helped with skills in small groups or individually. While I was teaching at Paul Miller, I was accepted into the Peace Corps as an education volunteer in Rwanda.
