I grew up in western Minnesota, attending a small public high school with a senior class of just 9 students. Even at the time, I knew that the size of our student body made my education unique. What I didn't realize until I had graduated was how much the core group of teachers I had from elementary school through high school shaped who I am and what I wanted to be. My dad was one of those teachers (he taught my third grade class) so most of the other instructors knew me before I was old enough to walk. They felt more like an extended family than anything else. I saw firsthand how much they cared about the students at my school and the kind of impact teachers could have on student's lives. I enrolled at the University of Minnesota with a declared major in mathematics and basically no idea of what I would do once I graduated. Though I always appreciated the role of teachers, I never saw myself in that role until I took a tutoring job while studying as an undergraduate. I began to enjoy the challenge of approaching problems in different ways, finding that (what I thought was) a great explanation that worked well for one student did not always resonate with other students. I had to become flexible and pay attention to cues from each person I worked with, communicating back and forth to understand where they were coming from so that we could attack a problem together. I was hooked. I've always been drawn to the subjects taught in collegiate-level mathematics courses, but attempting to research new areas in math was never something that interested me. After speaking to some of my favorite professors at the University of Minnesota, it became clear that a community college would be the perfect fit for someone with my passion for teaching. I completed a Master's degree with an emphasis in math education with this goal in mind, and after a few years in temporary roles at a variety of schools, I was fortunate enough to secure a full-time position at Normandale Community College. I am incredibly lucky to have such a supportive department to work with, and I owe much of my success to the generous help and guidance I have received from my colleagues. Teaching a new subject can be an intimidating prospect, and my coworkers gave me the assistance I needed to go into the classroom with confidence. I've also had the privilege of working with an enormously talented, diverse, and motivated group of students over the years. Even when I'm teaching courses I've taught before, every semester brings new challenges and opportunities because the students are different each year. The students are what make the job interesting, and they are what make me want to come back with better ideas each year.