Growing up, I was raised to speak Spanish at home and English at school. Finding balance between two languages was difficult but I had great support from my school by taking ESL classes. I remember getting pulled from my Core classroom to engage in lessons with other peers who were just like me. When I was about 9 years old, my family and I moved to a different town and things changed drastically. I was not in a diverse setting where I was able to express myself comfortably and did not have the opportunity to continue in ESL classes. I struggled tremendously which led to getting held back a grade. My light was not shown until I met my 4th grade teacher who brought in Social Emotional Learning into her classroom. I was given patience, kindness, a space to be myself and was drilled with practicing how to be flexible the entire school year. My passion to succeed as a teacher is not only through academia and opportunity for young learners, but to also feel included, loved and safe. I have had life changing experiences traveling to Chiang Rai, Thailand to learn a different culture, a different language and a different perspective on my career goals. Once I began my teaching career in Philadelphia in 2019, I knew I still had room for growth as a professional In my 2nd Grade teacher role at Mastery Harrity Elementary, I honed my abilities in classroom management and student progress reporting, providing a firm foundation for my students in the classroom.