Thinking about my journey and the people/places I have come across have truly shaped who I am today. For this autobiography I have chosen to look at influential people in my life and how they have influenced me.   

Let’s start at the beginning with my mom and dad. As a child, I remember my parents showing love and affection to me, my sister, and eachother.  Growing up my mom instilled a strong bond with my faith.  As a family, we attended church and would pray together.  It was important in our house to be respectful and to use proper manners with everyone I encountered.  Being around my parents I was taught to treat others with kindness and compassion.  

In elementary school I attended Deshaye Catholic School.  I had a lot of different experiences and memories, some amazing and some were a lesson.  Starting off in kindergarten with Mrs. Hischabet.  I don’t have any distinct memories from kindergarten, however, Mrs. Hischabet had such a way about her that I could never forget.  I can still feel her gentle and caring ways.  She is a teacher that I will always admire and aspire to be like.  She saw the light in every child, no matter who they were or where they came from.  She puts a smile on my face to this day.  Then in grade one I was lucky enough to have another kind and caring soul in Mrs. Workmann.  Mrs. Workmann used fun and unique ways to make learning exciting.  Although she had a lot of fun while teaching, she made sure things got done and that everyone was staying focused and engaged in the what we were starting to learn.  These were great experiences and inspired me to become a teacher.  Although, I will say there were some tough years that were still essential for my development and desire into becoming the teacher I aspire to be.  In grade 6, I had a very challenging year as my teacher was unable to connect and engage me (fellow students). In a sense of selfishness and unwellness to connect on a learning and personal level.  There was a very negative feel inside the class.  The teacher and I had many interactions that ended up with both being frustrated.  These experiences taught me how frustrating it can be as a student when your teacher doesn’t build a relationship with you.      

I went to Dr. Martin Leboldus for highschool.  Reflecting back on my four years, I was learning more about myself and who I was than the actual classes.  Highschool was filled with all kinds of different and new relationships. Figuring out who your friends are, what you like to do in your spare time, and how you treat the people around you.  For me, I learnt how I wanted to be treated as a person.  I was bullied a little and this was a huge setback in my learning.  I was connected in all different peer groups.  This allowed me to learn that I was capable of connecting with people no matter how different we may seem.  These were not the most enjoyable years and I choose to leave them in the past.             

My dad taught me to have a love for sports.  Being involved in sports taught me the importance of being part of a team.  Being involved in hockey was a key factor in my growth and development as a player and as a person.  Hockey taught me that you get out what you put in; as in, the harder you work the greater the result.  However, it is not always about winning, but mainly about having fun.  A great example of this would be when I was playing midget hockey.  I sat on the bench most of the year as our team won most of our games, tournaments, and championships.  Although we were winning, I was not having any fun.  Fast forward a few years, I played on a team where we only won one game all season, but yet I had the most fun I had ever had.  Reflecting back on this, I realize that yes, it is important to work hard to accomplish goals.  But it is more important to build relationships, make connections, and have fun while doing it.  

            In 2014, I began working for Westjet.  This was a huge turning point in my life.  When I was working at westjet, I was taught and dealt with a lot of problem solving.  I was tested on many different occasions in dealing with various situations.  This job allowed me to grow as a person in many different ways.  I loved getting up, going to work and making people laugh and smile.  I learned a lot about customer service and how to treat people.  I was well known and well liked for my charisma and positivity.  One of the people I connected with from this experience was a fellow co-worker and leader, Lisa Birnie.  She showed me the ways and always saw my potential.  Her hard work and dedication with her teaching me the system motivates me in being the best I can be as a teacher.  Her belief in my potential has driven me to be a leader and teacher, just as she was for me.         

The most influential person who has driven me to take this path is my sister, Chloe.  She has always been my number one fan.  She supports me in everything I choose to do. Since I remember my sister has always been by my side. She has taught me the importance of caring for all and seeing past sometimes situation. She has worked incredibly hard throughout her life. The tests and challenges she have overcome is empowering. She motivates me every day to be the best version of myself.  I see how hard she works in her classroom and the relationship she builds within her school community and it inspires me to continue to work on my dreams.  When I was deciding to go back to school, she supported me with whatever direction I chose.        

All of these people and these experiences have helped to shape who I am today. I understand that every day is a learning day, no matter if it’s at school, work, or play.  I am a positive, outgoing leader and look forward to taking all of my tools and using them in my teaching career.