Coming from a very large family (35 cousins!), I have always loved helping children. My first teaching position was with a class of 4 and 5 year olds while I was in high school, and I still remember most of my children's names. I tutored at an elementary school while at university, and returned to teaching once I had graduated. I taught science camps while working on my Master's Degree. While working on a PhD about the importance of education in building communities with equal opportunities for all, I began one-on-one teaching at a private school for children with special learning needs.

My favourite moments have always been when the block that the children have been stumbling over is finally overcome, and the joy in their eyes is so apparent. My first student with difficulties was a five year old that seemed couldn't quite grasp how to write his name. After working with him for several days, I learned that his biggest problem was that someone had been telling him that he was writing several letters backwards, so therefore it was all wrong. All he needed in the end was encouragement that we all start out writing letters backwards, and he soon became excited about writing his name on any piece of paper he could reach.

I had an amazing teacher reach out to me and help relight my love of learning when I was nine, and I have never forgotten how it felt to know that someone was in my corner, helping to show me all that I was capable of. I knew then that every child deserved this same opportunity that I was so lucky to have, which is what has pushed me into a political career fighting for equal education for all children. I believe that every child can succeed with the right encouragement and help, and I have worked with enough children to know that every child needs their own approach to education. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and I work individually with every student to make sure that they are getting the precise help that they need.

My work as a tutor, a teacher, and a nanny has given me the ability to relate to children and bond with them in a way that makes them know that I don't care just about the highest grades, but about them succeeding and feeling proud of themselves, that I will help them find that same passion and excitement about education that I myself have.